1.1 Population and migration (CIS-STAT)

Demographic Statistics

Ongoing work:

• Collection, processing, analysis and publication of demographic statistics in accordance with the list of indicators agreed upon with national statistical services.
• Preparation and publication of analytical materials on the demographic situation in the CIS countries.

Results of Population Censuses

Ongoing work:

•Publication of concise results of the Censuses.

New Activities:

•Preparation of a summarizedpublication "On Methodological Guidelines of 2010 Round of Population Censuses in the CIS Countries ".

• Preparation of a summarized report for the special seminar ofthe Conference European Statisticiansentitled«Changesin the FuturePopulation Censuses».

1.1 Population and migration (Eurostat)

Theme 1.01 - Population

Fields of activities covered by the theme

The important demographic challenges facing the European Union as well as the development of a common immigration policy (cf. European Pact on Immigration and Asylum as well as the Stockholm Programme adopted by the European Council in December 2009) have resulted in an unprecedented demand for high-quality demographic and migration statistics to support policy-making, i.e.:

• Population and housing censuses;
• Demographic statistics, including statistics on population stocks and vital events;
• Population projections;
• Migration statistics, including statistics on stocks of migrant populations, migration flows, acquisition of citizenship, asylum, enforcement of immigration legislation, residence permits and the social and economic situation of migrants.

Quality improvements and quality assurance will be an important focus for work on both demographic and migration statistics. The Census hub project is an example of a more interactive production chain based on a "data at the source" solution in line with the Communication on the production method of EU statistics. Migration statistics as a cross-cutting phenomenon will benefit from a cost-effective mainstreaming approach. The core social variables relating for the identification of

• Demographic Statistics - Rapid data collection, joint data collection, regional data collection, nowcast data collection;
• Preparation of the regulation on annual demographic data collection, including its implementing measure(s);
• Population Projections on national and regional level;
• The development of statistics on residence permits issued to non-EU citizens follows the double aim of providing additional statistics for the policy making in the area of migration of third country nationals and of contributing to migration mainstreaming;
• Migration Statistics: Flows, stocks and acquisition of citizenship;
• Statistics on enforcement of immigration legislation;
• Residence permit statistics;
• Statistics on the integration and socio-economic situation of migrants;
• Quality and accuracy of migration statistics;
• Report to the EP and Council on the statistics compiled pursuant to Regulation 862/2007 and on their quality;
• Additional disaggregations as foreseen in Article 8 of Regulation 862/2007;
• Asylum Statistics;
• Statistics for the allocation of the "Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows" programme funds - Data to meet the requirements set in the Funds legislation;
• Quality assurance programme for data used in the allocation of the "Solidarity and management of Migration Flows" Funds.

1.1 Population and migration (ILO)

Migrant Workers

Ongoing technical assistance:

• The ILO will continue to provide assistance to countries with the measurement of international labour migration through special modules for attachment into household surveys, particularly labour force surveys.

Ongoing international collaboration

• The ILO will continue to participate in the meetings and activities of the Global Migration Group (GMG) to promote coherence between labour statistics and international migration statistics.

Economically active population

• Estimates and projections of the economically active population (EAP) and activity rates by age group and sex have been published since 1971. The most recent edition of the Estimates and Projections of Economically Active Population (EAPEP database) released in October 2011 covers the period 1990-2020 for 191 countries and territories (available at http://laborsta.ilo.org). They are based on the 2010 Revision of the World Population Prospects, released in June 2011 by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The methodologies for both estimates and projections have been improved and published. Transparency has also been increased, as detailed metadata are now available for each data point. A review of the methodologies of EAP projections used at the national and international levels will soon be published. The next important release would take place in autumn 2013, just after the next release of the UN population figures. For the year 2012, it is planned to undertake revisions for some countries, that do not undertake frequently Labour Force Surveys and for which new data would become available.

1.1 Population and migration (IOM)

1) The IOM Global Human Trafficking Database

Description:

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is using a unique tool to monitor the assistance and collect information on the victims of trafficking (VoTs) it assists. The IOM Global Human Trafficking Database is a global repository of only primary data on registered victims of trafficking (VoTs), and contains data on approximately nearly 20,000 registered victims of more than 85 different nationalities trafficked to more than 100 destination countries (December, 2010).

It is a standardized anti-trafficking data-management tool available to all IOM missions and is actively used throughout all regions of the world. Containing only primary information, this unique tool specifically facilitates the management of the whole IOM direct assistance, movement and reintegration process through a centrally managed system as well as mapping the victim's trafficking experience. The structure follows the format of the accompanying IOM VoT questionnaires, used by IOM missions and partnering organizations involved in direct assistance, and containing a wealth of information both of a quantitative and qualitative nature: the Screening Interview Form is intended to assess whether the individual is a victim of trafficking and thus eligible for an IOM's assistance project; and the Assistance Interview Form stands to track the nature of direct assistance given along with documenting further details of the trafficking experience.

Aims:

While initially designed as a case management tool for IOM counter-trafficking direct assistance programmes, the system quickly demonstrated its added value to research. The aim of the database is to contribute to the general knowledge on trafficking in persons, trafficking trends and to help governments, research institutes as well as other institutions to better tailor CT policies and programmes.

2) Central European Forum for Migration and Population Research (CEFMR), Poland

Aims:

• Conduct research in the field of international migration statistics;
• Contribute to the efforts towards more reliable and harmonized statistics on international migration.

Ongoing and forthcoming Activities:

• Conducting of data collection, estimation and population forecast by ethnicity of populations of the Russian Federation;
• Training and teaching in the area of international migration statistics;
• Coordination of collection of data on mobility of highly skilled in Europe within Framework 7 POCARIM project.

3) Extended Migration Profile in Moldova

Description:

Migration profile represents a framework for data collection analysis and dissemination in support of strategic migration policy planning at the national and regional levels. It will bring existing information from different sources together in a structured manner as a means to identify and develop strategies to address data and policy development needs. In order to become a sustainable effective information tool for policy making, the Migration Profile is government-owned and will be updated on a yearly basis.

Aims:

Enhancing governmental capacities to more effectively manage migration by preparing country an Extended Migration Profile (MP) which is to be used as a policy instrument to promote more comprehensive and proactive approaches:

• To enhance governmental knowledge about migration and its relationship to development;
• To support government in establishing mechanisms for regular reporting on migration-related trend;
• To improve the use of migration information for policy development;
• To foster greater inter-ministerial coordination and collaboration with respect to data collection and policy development.

Ongoing and forthcoming Activities:

• A Government Decision is under preparation which will:
- Endorse the List of statistical indicators for the MP and the Template of the MP Report, prepared by IOM and approved by the Inter-ministerial MP Technical Working Group;
- Appoint the institution to be responsible for the development and yearly updating of the Migration Profile as coordinator among involved government bodies;
- Establish core statistical definitions on international migration in line with EU/UN standards.
• Implementation of a specifically developed methodology to establish more reliable estimates on international migrants based on border crossing records;
• Finalization of the data collection and setting up of an expert team for the drafting of the MP composed of national and international experts;
• Supporting the development of a two-year Action Plan for developing and updating the Extended Migration Profile, including guidelines on data collection, institutional responsibilities and recommendations on additional capacity-building measures based on the 2011 Data Assessment Report and the Extended MP exercise.

This pilot project implemented by OSCE, IOM, UNECE and ILO aims at establishing a harmonized data collection process in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan through the development of a common draft template for harmonized migration data collection which will come as a result of assessing the availability of migration data and existing gaps for data collection in these countries.

Aims:

The overall objective of the present project is to build institutional capacity among government officials and representatives of national and regional statistical bodies in the five EurAsEC countries for establishing a harmonized migration data collection process through developing common templates for harmonized migration data collection (statistical indicators) which will foster data collection and sharing in the regional.

The specific objectives of the project proposal are:

• To assess the availability of aggregated migration data in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan and their capacity for data collection with existing mechanisms;
• To detect current gaps for establishing a harmonized data collection process in these countries and develop a common draft template for harmonized migration data collection;
• To provide the target groups in the regional conference with information on the current data availability and existing gaps in the five countries, as well as international and regional legal frameworks for the collection of data and international cooperation at the international, regional and bilateral level.

Ongoing and forthcoming Activities:

• Assessment trips to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kirgizstan, January - April 2011;
• Assessment trip to Russia in spring 2012, given additional funding also to Belorussia;
• OSCE/IOM Regional Conference: Promotion of the Handbook on migration data collection (including the synthesis report and draft data collection template) through the Conference, June 2012.

5) Central Asia Regional Migration Programme (CARM)

Description:

This project aims at improving the collection and sharing of migration data between governmental agencies in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Data is often scattered with different agencies which makes it difficult to have a comprehensive overview on past and current migration patterns. Data is usually shared upon specific request; no consistent data-sharing system exists among the agencies. This project is implemented by IOM in cooperation with UNIFEM and World Bank. IOM's role in the project consists in establishing a mechanism which would allow relevant government agencies to collect and share migration data in a more efficient way.

Aims:

Establish a data-collection and -sharing mechanism to foster the exchange of available information between governmental agencies in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Ongoing and forthcoming Activities:

• Needs assessment identifying major challenges for the collection and dissemination of data (completed);
• Establishment of an inter-ministerial working group developing a set of core gender-segregated indicators to be shared by agencies and methodology of data-sharing;
• Draft Governmental Decree to be signed by the Prime-Minister to enforce data sharing mechanism;
• Develop two analytical reports based on the established mechanism (end of 2011 and in 2012).

6) Study on labor exploitation in Azerbaijan

Description:

Within the ongoing 'Enhancing Measures and Cooperation to Effectively Combat Trafficking in Persons through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance in Azerbaijan - Phase II' project IOM Azerbaijan is currently carrying out a study on 'labour exploitation in Azerbaijan'.

Aims:

• Assess the characteristics of internal and international migrants, in particular migrant workers at risk of labor exploitation in Azerbaijan;
• Identify factors leading to the occurrence of the problem;
• Develop a research base which would lead to a deeper understanding of the motivations and needs of victims;
• Lay down policy recommendations to enhance the level of rights protection efforts in Azerbaijan.

Ongoing and forthcoming Activities:

• Desktop research with analysis of available statistics and secondary sources;
• Field surveys, qualitative interviews (100 individuals) and data analysis in Azerbaijan;
• The report will be ready by end of May 2012.

7) Migration for Development in the Western Balkans (MIDWEB)

Description:

Within the overall project the objective is to establish a database of needed skills per sector for each country in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo/UNSC 1244, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia), selected EU member states (Austria, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom) and Switzerland. In particular the data for labour supply and demand by occupation and by sector will be collected. Vienna Institute of International Economics (wiiw) has the lead in this activity.

Aims:

Database created to increase migrants' access to adequate information on employment abroad and labour market needs:

• Lists of needed skills per occupation compiled for each country in the WB and selected main countries of destination for migrants from the WB;
• A database with list of skills per sector incorporated into the MSC website http://www.migrantservicecentres.org.

• Job vacancies by occupation (4-digit or higher);
• Occupied jobs by occupation (4-digit or higher);
• Unemployed persons by previous occupation (4-digit or higher);
• Skill shortage list by occupation (this relates to vacancies per unemployed: Ratio between the total number of the stock of vacancies compared to the total number of unemployed). This list is a result of the above given indicators, but could also be defined by national criteria. If a national skill shortage list exists, this one should be used.

1.1 Population and migration (OECD)

International Migration

Purpose

To produce consistent and annual international migration data for OECD member countries and some non-member countries and ensure methodological soundness and comparability of international migration data.

Objectives and outputs

Updating and extending the International Migration Database available via OECD.Stat and publishing an extensive statistical annex in the annual report "International Migration Outlook" (IMO), which contains the most recent available data on migration flows, foreign and immigrant populations, foreign workers, naturalisations and foreign students.

• Producing and improving standardised long-term and temporary inflows series by category and publishing in the IMO and OECD.Stat. Categories for long-term flows include work, family, humanitarian, free circulation; Categories for temporary workers include students, trainees, seasonal workers, working holiday makers, intra-company transfers.

• Updating the Database on Immigrants in OECD Countries (DIOC) for the years 2005/06.

Publication of the OECD SEM Working Paper "Are Recent Immigrants Different? A New Profile of Immigrants in the OECD (DIOC 2005/06)".

• The current version of DIOC-E (release 3.0) covers information on 32 OECD and 68 non-OECD destination countries, including country of birth, sex, educational attainment level, age, labour force status and occupation. Dissemination of DIOC-E (release 3.0) and publication of the OECD Working Paper "International Migrants in Developed, Emerging and Developing Countries: An Extended Profile" (see www.oecd.org/migration/dioc/extended).

Develop mechanims to improve and streamline the production of the harmonised statistics.

Release of the update of DIOC 2005/06.

Publication on the indicators of integration of immigrants and their children.

Data collection:

Development of Sicremi network.

Data collection:

In 2012, a new data collection will be launched (DIOC 2010/11) in collaboration with STD. National Institutes for Statistics in OECD countries and other main destination countries will be contacted to update DIOC with population register data and 2010/11 census data.

Data collection:

Development of the dataset with subcategories inside the main work/family/study/humanitarian and others.

Development of the dataset by country of origin and gender.

Data collection:

Project to disseminate these statistics quarterly.

Data collection:

Plan to implement a network of correspondents to collect data on migration in Asia on a regular basis.

Population Projections

Purpose

Maintain a population projections database to achieve transparency in the use of population projections within OECD.

Update the database with UN revised data for the non-member countries data and national statistical sites for members countries data.

1.1 Population and migration (UN Population Division)

Population and Migration Statistics

Analysis and studies:

• Information and analysis on population trends and policies;
• Population estimates and projections for all countries, geographical areas, urban and rural areas and major cities;
• Analytical work in the fields of fertility; contraceptive use; mortality including HIV/AIDS; internal migration; international migration; population growth and ageing; the interrelationship of population, resources, environment and development, including social and economic aspects; and studies on population and development policies related to the above;
• Implementation of 2009 Revision of the official United Nations estimates and projections of urban and rural areas and major cities;
• Implementation of the 2010 Revision of the Global Migrant Stock: International Migrants by Age (estimates of the international migrant stock by country of residence, sex and age, 1990 - 2010);
• Implementation of the 2010 Revision of International Migration Flows To and From Selected Countries (annual data on international migration flows to and from industrialized countries);
• Implementation of wall chart International Migration 2011 (indicators on international migration and development trends and policies by country of residence);
• Implementation of the 2011 World Fertility Report, with data on over 20 fertility-related measures over time from a variety of sources, including civil registration, population censuses and nationally representative sample surveys. Data on government views and policies on fertility are also included. A separate wall chart on fertility patterns worldwide will be produced;
• Release of World Contraceptive Use 2010, a comparable and up-to-date set of national data on contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for family planning for almost all countries and areas of the world. The data points are expanded from prior versions to go back to as early as 1950, and additional tables are included to show method-specific trends over time and across countries;
• Develop a Bayesian hierarchical model of contraceptive prevalence to generate trends in contraceptive prevalence from 1970 to 2015, given that about one-third of countries worldwide have no more than two national-level data points over this time period.

Dissemination:

• Dissemination of world-wide population information through the United Nations Population Division web site (www.unpopulation.org).
• Release of the 2010 Revision of World Population Prospects, with an expanded time horizon to 2100, in March 2011.
• Dissemination of data on the international migrant stock by country birth, citizenship, sex and age through the Global Migration Database (accessible through www.unmigration.org).

1.1 Population and migration (UN Statistics Division)

Demographic Yearbook

• Continue to compile and disseminate demographic statistics in the Demographic Yearbook, website and CD-Rom.
• Further develop the storage and retrieval system for maintaining the demographic database.
• The UNSD coordinates the collection of demographic statistics with the WHO, EUROSTAT, ILO and the Economic Commission for Europe in order to minimize the reporting burden on the national statistical services and to provide as wide a range of users as possible with access to demographic statistics shown in international statistical publications including the United Nations Demographic Yearbook.

Migration Statistics

• Finalize technical report on measuring international migration through censuses and sample surveys.
• Migrant stock data that were collected through the Demographic Yearbook (DYB) Population Census Questionnaires are now available at the UNSD website.

• Annual collection of data on international migrant flows through the revise the DYB questionnaire.

1.1 Population and migration (UNECE STAT)

Description and objectives

In migration statistics, UNECE aims at improving availability, quality and international comparability of migration data in the member countries, in response to the strong demand from policymakers and other users for more and better data on migration. In 2012, the task force on the implications of different definitions of migrants' length of stay on migration estimates will complete its work. Two other task forces will continue their activities on:

(a) Improving migration statistics by using household surveys, administrative data, population censuses and other sources; and
(b) Measuring the socio-economic conditions of migrants.

Together with Eurostat, UNECE will organise the joint biannual work session on migration in 2012. To enhance the use of immigration data of other countries in measuring emigration, UNECE will launch a Clearinghouse on Migration Statistics with data for countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.

1.1 Population and migration (UNHCR)

Statistics on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons, Stateless and other persons of concern to UNHCR

Ongoing methodological work:

• Continuous work will be carried out to verify incoming statistics and to assist UNHCR country offices and host governments in improving data quality and data collection methods and in ensuring consistency over time and comparability between countries.
• Information about methods of data collection can be found in UNHCR's Statistical Yearbook.
• Particular emphasis will be given to training UNHCR field operations and host governments in collecting, managing and analysing indicator data to support evidence-based planning and results-based management, including the MDGs.
• Specific attention will be paid to methods to improve data collection on internally displaced populations (IDPs).
• UNHCR will continue to promote the population census as a method to collect estimates on refugees and stateless persons.
• Fourth intake of the Operational Data Management Learning Programme (ODMLP), a training programme to improve quantitative skills at the field level.
• UNHCR's Statistical Online Population Database will be updated regularly. It contains data on populations falling under the UNHCR mandate, with information going back as far as 1951. It can be accessed at www.unhcr.org/statistics/populationdatabase.
• UNHCR's Frequently Requested Statistics website will be updated regularly and expanded based on user needs. It contains data on populations falling under the UNHCR mandate, with information going back as far as 1951. It can be accessed at www.unhcr.org/statistics/frequent.
• UNHCR's Interactive RefScout, which enables users to explore statistical information on UNHCR's population of concern in the form of maps, graphs and tables by region and country, will be updated regularly. It can be accessed at http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/RefScout/refscout.html#.
• Continuous collection of indicators related to protection, living conditions and well-being for urban and camp-based refugees through the Standards and Indicators data collection initiative which started in 2003.

1.2 Labour (CIS-STAT)

Labour Statistics

Ongoing work:

• CIS-STAT will continue to collect, process, analyse and disseminate data on employment, unemployment, wages and salaries.
• Preparation of a review (report) entitled "The Labour Market in the CIS countries".

New Activities:

• Preparation of a review"Generalization ofthe Experience in Organization of theLabourForce SurveysintheCIS Countries"
• Preparation of a concise statistical abstract"The Labour Market in the CIS Countries".

1.2 Labour (Eurostat)

Theme 1.02 - Labour market

Fields of activities covered by the theme

High-quality labour market statistics will be provided in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy and the Employment Guidelines. Infra-annual and structural headline indicators will inform policy makers, media and the public.

• Europe2020 indicators: timely provision and quality assurance;
• Review of the Labour Force Survey legal basis;
• Implementation of the Labour Force Survey ad hoc module 2012;
• Labour Force Survey ad hoc module 2014;
• Programme of Labour Force Survey ad hoc modules 2016-2018, respecting the future role of the ad hoc modules under a revised legal basis;
• Preparation of the report to EP and Council on the implementation of the Labour Force Survey regulation;
• New data collection in social surveys using multiple modes;
• Preparation of the report to EP and Council on the implementation of the regulation on the labour cost index;
• Structure of Earnings Survey 2010: Transmission, processing and dissemination of data;
• Exploring options for a simplification of the Structure of Earnings Survey.

• The ILO will continue to supplement its portion of the Joint FAO ILO Website on Rural Employment, focusing on agricultural and non-agricultural labour, including unpaid services in rural households and agricultural holdings for own-consumption.

Volunteer work

• A manual on measuring volunteer work has been prepared and is available online in the three working languages at http://www.ilo.org/stat/Publications/WCMS_162119/lang--en/index.htm. Its recommendations have been applied in a number of European countries, such as Poland, Italy and Montenegro, and other countries, including Moldova, will be applying them in the following years.

Administrative Records

• The ILO will produce the 2nd edition of the SSM series.

Ongoing methodological work

Working Time

• The ILO will continue to work on time-use classifications as an instrument to serve the measurement of work and working time statistics within and beyond the production boundary.

• The ILO will continue to develop the Training Curriculum on Understanding Time Use Surveys to Promote Gender Equality", a modular technical cooperation and training tool.

Measurement of decent work and quality of employment

• Work will continue on the collection and publication of the key ILO decent work indicators and will present to the forthcoming ICLS a state of advancement of how the decent work indicators have been implemented and used by countries.

• A "Reference Guide on Decent Work Indicators" will be published in the first half of 2012.

• As a member of the UNECE Working Group on the Measurement of the Quality of Employment, the ILO will provide technical contribution to the WG's planned activities.

Forced labour

• The ILO has developed a database on forced labour, which relies on secondary sources and includes information on reported cases. In 2005, this database was used to calculate the ILO's first global estimate of the total number of forced labour victims in the world. The ILO is also focusing on technical cooperation for developing reliable national statistics at the country-level, and providing benchmarks by which progress can be measured over time. Eight countries from different regions have initially been selected for producing these national estimates, guided by the recommendations from a workshop held in December 2006. Following a review, more countries will be selected. The findings for a wider range of countries will be assessed in the 2012.

Data collection

Since its establishment over 90 years ago, the ILO has been collecting and disseminating statistics on a wide array of labour topics. The ILO central data warehouse for labour statistics is LABORSTA. All the series described below can be accessed at http://laborsta.ilo.org.

• Annual data on the economically active population, employment, unemployment, hours of work, wages, labour cost, consumer price indices, occupational injuries and strikes and lockouts are collected regularly for dissemination in the ILO Yearbook of Labour Statistics, by CD-ROM and on the LABORSTA website which is updated each month. Descriptions of the methods used to compile these statistics are produced and disseminated in the Sources and Methods: Labour Statistics series of publications, by CD-ROM and on the LABORSTA website. Beginning in 2006, the Yearbook has been published in two volumes: i) Volume 1 has time series for each country usually covering the preceding ten years, and ii) Volume 2 has a "country profile" format showing the latest available labour statistics for each country.

• The yearly data collection and the ILO Yearbook of Statistics were temporarily discontinued in 2010 in order to allow a thorough review of the topics and methods of ILO data collection. As a result of this process, the former October Inquiry was discontinued. For some specific topic areas, the review process involved two rounds of consultations with statistical experts and key tripartite experts worldwide yielding a new ILO yearly indicators questionnaire containing many traditional topics as well as new ones and more standardized variables and indicators for purposes of greater comparability. The new questionnaire was sent to National Statistics Offices and Ministries of Labour worldwide at the end of 2011 and requested annual data for 2009 and 2010; these are expected to be published during the first quarter of 2012.

• Following the 2008 financial crisis which rapidly deteriorated the labour market situation in many countries, the ILO started to publish in December 2008 selected statistics on employment, unemployment, wages, working time, and consumer prices at the country level for which data are produced on a monthly or quarterly basis. These indicators have been selected for their ability to reflect recent and short-term changes. The data are updated and disseminated each month in the online short-term indicators of the labour market database of the ILO Department of Statistics http://laborsta.ilo.org/sti/sti_E.html. This work will continue in 2012. Aggregate global estimates are available based on real data from reporting countries, as well as aggregate estimates for groupings of developed and developing countries. Data can be accessed by topic and by country and seasonally adjusted data are available for key short-term labour market variables and indicators to allow users to better analyze period-to-period changes. Regular updates of these estimates will be carried out throughout 2012.

• Data on public sector employment for 140 countries, areas and territories are updated with biannual periodicity, the last update started at the end of 2010 and were finalized in 2011.

• A number of other data series are updated less frequently. These include the databases on :
- household income and expenditure statistics;
- informal employment;
- employment in the informal sector;
- trade union membership;
- labour migration.

• In addition to expanding the coverage of the topics and the coverage of the countries and territories, significant efforts are being made to improve the quality of the statistics collected and disseminated and (ii) to reduce the reporting burden on national statistical bodies. The latter includes the collaboration with UNSD with respect to data sharing of statistics on the economically active population, the joint data collection with Eurostat for the Member States of the European Union on strikes and lockouts, and the use of electronic questionnaires. The Department of Statistics is working on the possibility of exchanging data and metadata more rapidly by using SDMX and other electronic means.

• A new survey to collect information on collective bargaining coverage and trade union density will be carried out in 2012. The purpose of this survey is to develop statistical indicators of social dialogue and workplace relations.

• In addition to expanding the coverage of the topics and the coverage of the countries and territories, significant efforts are being made to improve the quality of the statistics collected and disseminated and (ii) to reduce the reporting burden on national statistical bodies. The latter includes the collaboration with UNSD with respect to data sharing of statistics on the economically active population, the joint data collection with Eurostat for the Member States of the European Union on strikes and lockouts, and the use of electronic questionnaires. The Department of Statistics is working on the possibility of exchanging data and metadata more rapidly by using SDMX and other electronic means.

G-20 Labour Statistics Update Reports

• Given the ILO's recent status as a full member of the G20, it has been actively involved in providing up-to-date information on the impact of the current economic crisis on the labour market for G20 countries. In April 2010, the ILO produced a series of statistical labour market reports by country as well as the summary report for the full set of countries "Employment and labour market adjustments in G20 Countries during 2007-09 and outlook for 2010: A statistical overview" for the G20 Labour Ministerial Meeting in Washington, DC. The full set of documents can be found at: http://www.ilo.org/pls/apex/f?p=109:12:0. The ILO also produced the report, "Weak employment recovery with persistent high unemployment and decent work deficits: An update on employment and labour market trends in G20 countries" for the G20 Summit in Seoul, Korea held in November 2010; this document can be found at: http://www.ilo.org/pls/apex/f?p=109:14:0. This work continued in 2011, and will continue in 2012 as requested.

The ILO set of Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM)

• The Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM) is a multi-functional research tool offered by the ILO with the aim of making labour market information and analysis easily accessible. It contains a core set of 18 labour market indicators and accompanying trends analysis that together provide a framework for monitoring various facets of the world of work. The first KILM was released in 1999. It has since become a flagship product of the ILO and is used on a daily basis by researchers and policy-makers throughout the world. The 7th edition was released in November 2011.

1.2 Labour (OECD)

Annual Labour Force Statistics

Purpose

To provide relevant, reliable annual labour force statistics covering long time series for internal OECD users (in particular, the Economics Department), member country government agencies and other external users in academic institutions and private enterprise.

Objectives and outputs

The main objective is to provide long time series for key annual statistics on population, labour force, employment and unemployment. This database contains annual statistics for OECD member countries comprising: population, total employment, unemployment, civilian employment by sectors, part-time employment, duration of unemployment. Published output also includes participation and unemployment rates by gender and detailed age groups as well as comparative tables for the main components of the labour force.

Data are available for all OECD member countries and for OECD-Total, Euro area and European Union. Time series cover 20 years for most countries. The long time-series for the data presented facilitate identification of structural changes in labour force over time.

Published output are also accompanied by target OECD and ILO international statistical standards (definitions, etc) and summary methodological information (national definitions, coverage, collection, calculation, series breaks, sources) used by individual OECD member countries in the compilation of the statistics published in the ALFS.

Databases

Annual Labour Force Statistics

Main Developments for 2012

Data collection:

Targeted countries slow at responding to the annual questionnaire will be requested to speed up their response.

Infra-annual Labour Force Statistics

Purpose

To provide relevant, reliable key infra-annual labour force statistics such as employment and unemployment (levels, rates) for internal OECD users, member country government agencies and other external users in academic institutions and private enterprise.

Objectives and outputs

The main objective is to provide long time series for key infra-annual labour statistics as well as timely short-term indicators on the labour force such as employment and unemployment. Data are disseminated in the OECD Main Economic Indicators (MEI) database, a monthly press release on harmonised unemployment and on OECD.Stat.

Data are available for all OECD member countries and for key series (employment, unemployment, hourly earnings) aggregates for OECD-Total, Major seven, OECD-Europe, EU27 and Euro area and for selected non-member countries.

In the MEI series are accompanied by summary metadata outlining key concepts, coverage, etc. Published output are also accompanied by target OECD and ILO international statistical standards (definitions, etc) and summary methodological information (national definitions, coverage, collection, calculation, series breaks, sources) used by individual OECD member countries in data compilation.

Small number of countries slow at responding to the annual questionnaire will be requested to speed up their response. The collection of further data and metadata for NMEs, in particular, China and India.

Labour Market Statistics

Purpose

To produce a comprehensive set of statistics to monitor labour market developments in OECD countries, while enhancing their international comparability.

To monitor the current jobs crisis and subsequent jobs recovery.

To provide statistical information to undertake labour market analyses and policy formulation to be discussed at international meetings on labour policies.

To provide background information for preparatory work for international statistical guidelines.

Data are used to produce the statistical annex of the Employment Outlook and the internal and external on-line Labour Force Statistics database stored on OECD.Stat (Key Employment Statistics and www.oecd.org/els/employment/data).

Some of the data series are reported in the OECD Main Economic Indicators database (http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx) and in the OECD Annual Labour Force Statistics publication.

The expansion of the LFS database will gain momentum to improve country coverage and comparibility regarding job tenure, hours worked, minimum wages and wage earnings data and to compile data in the area of youth and workforce ageing, broader measures of unemployment, etc.

Time permitting a closer look at statistics to characterise informal employment will be attempted based on existing international guidelines on this subject.

Work underway to consolidate earnings related statistics and to improve their comparability.

Continuation of the assessment of annual working time statistics to improve their international comparability with the aim of publishing of comparable estimates on annual hours actually worked per employed person in the statistical annex of the Employment Outlook.

Continuous migration of data and metadata that are relevant for labour market statistics to OECD.Stat for internal and external web based dissemination.

Data collection:

Given the analytical capacity of working with indiivual records for policy formulation, it is felt important, where possible, to develop the capability for direct access to labour force survey (public use) microdatasets in OECD Member States with a particular focus on non-EU countries.

So far, we have been able to access to labour force survey public use files of 9 OECD countries.

Besides, in the two-year period of 2009-2010, public use files of household survey microdatasets were collected for Brazil, India, Indonesia and South Africa as well as for Mexico and Turkey.

Further exploration on the availability of labour force and income surveys will be pursued in 2011 to include micro-datasets for Chile, the Russian Federation, and other OECD countries.

In 2011, micro-datasets stored currently are expected to be updated.

Data management:

Migration of the remaining parts of Earnings distribution database in 2012.

Unit Labour Costs

Purpose

To maintain and expand the OECD System of Unit Labour Cost and Related Indicators, which brings together a wide range of data sources for all OECD member countries. A set of internationally comparable quarterly unit labour cost (ULC) indexes for eight economic activities (ULC) indexes are produced together with annual series for ULC, Labour productivity, Labour Compensation (including PPP adjusted), Labour Income shares and Exchange rate adjusted ULC.

In addition, early estimates of quarterly ULCs are produced at t+75 (as a target) and disseminated via a media releease.

At the same time, labour compensation statistics are updated an on-going basis every month, as an input to the MEI publications.

The quarterly ULCs provide the inputs to the Economics Department for production of their real effective exchange rates competitiveness indicators.

Objectives and outputs

The key objectives of 2011 were to review the quality and comparability of established production system. Early estimates of quarterly (EEQ) ULCs were developed which improve the timeliness, comparability with those produced by ECB, and analytical capacity of the existing ULCs. The EEQ ULCs are compiled indirect method which means that seasonally adjusted (SA) ULCs are compiled from SA compenent series collected from NSOs as much as possible. At the same time, ULC media release is revised. In addition, annual data was prepared for publication in the OECD Factbook. Joint ULC project between STD and ECB was continued.

Major tasks in 2012 will be integrate estimates of ULC within the Productivity database. Early ULC estimates for Total economy will continue being updated with continued co-operation from ECB. At the same time, compilation of new ULCs for G20 countries will be pursued.

Data collection:

Major task will be the incorporation of the very large number of new series into the on-going MEI data collection processes.

1.2 Labour (UNECE STAT)

Description and objectives

UNECE is undertaking work on measuring quality of employment jointly with Eurostat and ILO to respond to the demands for data on the qualitative aspects of employment from the workers' perspective, beyond traditional labour force statistics. UNECE published in 2010 the report on Potential indicators for measurement of quality of employment which provided the underlying concepts and structure for the quality of employment indicators. A meeting in autumn 2011 discussed the results of testing the indicators in countries and the practical measurement issues. The work will continue to improve the indicators based on the outcome of the testing, and to develop operational guidelines for the calculation of indicators in practice.

1.3 Education (CIS-STAT)

Education Statistics

Ongoing work:

• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data provided by national statistical services as part of the interstate exchange of information on education.
• Preparation of the annual report entitled " Education in the Commonwealth Countries".
• It is envisaged to render consultative services to national statistical services on the problems of education statistics organisation in the countries of the Commonwealth.

1.3 Education (Eurostat)

Theme 1.03 - Education and lifelong learning

Fields of activities covered by the theme

Statistics developed under this theme are crucial for the monitoring and benchmark exercise of the Europe 2020 strategy, the "Education and Training 2020" policy cooperation (including new indicators related to employability and learning mobility of students in Higher Education and initial vocational training), and the renewed integrated guidelines, social agenda and sustainable development framework.

Activities covered by the theme:

• Production of statistical information on education and lifelong learning via specific data sources on education and training systems, vocational training in enterprises and adult learning;
• Production of statistical information on education and lifelong learning via other ESS sources which are not specific to education covering areas like outcome of education, learning mobility, human capital, education and social inclusion, and employability as well as transition from education to work;
• Dissemination of indicators for the monitoring of EU policies and benchmarking exercises like Europe 2020 indicators, "Education and Training 2020", the European Employment Strategy and integrated guidelines, benchmarking the European Research Area, the social agenda and sustainable development;
• Cooperation within the Commission established with DG EAC, DG EMPL, DG RTD and JRC (CRELL Centre for Research on Education and Lifelong Learning);
• Cooperation with other international organisations (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, OECD, ILO), with specialised EU agencies - European Training Foundation (ETF), CEDEFOP, CRELL (JRC) - as well as with the Eurydice information network established by DG EAC (DG EACEA).

1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2012

1.1 NEW WORK, INCLUDING NEW PLANNED LEGISLATION

• Following on from the work carried out by the Eurostat FESUR Task Force during the EUMIDA feasibility study, Eurostat will provide methodological assistance to DG EAC and DG RTD. for the setting up and regular running of a Register on Tertiary Education Institutions, including input to drafting the terms of reference for a call for tender to identify external contractors, evaluating the bids, ensuring and facilitating cooperation with National Statistical Authorities and advise DG EAC and RTD on quality issues, including statistical elements highlighted in the feasibility study.
• Within the framework of implementing the new ISCED 2011, dedicate resources to update the data collection instruments (e.g. UOE data collection and core variable in social surveys 'educational attainment'), where ISCED plays a major role. The ISCED mappings will likewise be updated.
• The tests for further integration of lifelong learning statistics in the Labour Force Survey and Adult Education Survey are carried out through grants in 2011 and 2012. The proposal implies an update of the Classification of Learning Activities accordingly.
• As a result of the repeal of the CVTS regulation, launch of a discussion (including a Task Force) to simplify data collection on vocational training in enterprises from 2015 in line with a better use of AES and LFS data on lifelong learning, while considering which vocational training and skills needs data should still be collected from enterprises within the ESS.

1.2 ONGOING WORK

• Education Statistics (UOE data collection): Eurobase Update, data for publication purposes web and paper. Testing the new UOE quality report beginning of 2012 with a view to finalise in 2012.
• Improve and develop indicators and benchmarks related to EU2020 initiatives/flagships and based on the UOE (common UNESCO, OECD and Eurostat data collection based on mainly administrative sources) data collection as a source. Continue the work on UOE tables on diploma and credit mobility in higher education to monitor Bologna and EU benchmark on learning mobility.
Complete a feasibility study and discuss the next steps on the use of household surveys - mainly LFS or Adult education survey (AES) - within the ESS to provide data regularly and for first time by 2015, for the monitoring of a benchmark on learning mobility in initial VET and general youth mobility indicator.
• Evaluation of new results, tables on Eurostat reference database, paper publication programme, Adult Education Survey (AES) anonymised datasets, user requests.
• Continuous Vocational Training Survey (CVTS): evaluation of new results, tables on Eurostat reference database, paper publication programme, anonymised datasets, user requests.
• LFS education Statistics (Europe 2020): Education attainment, lifelong learning, early school leavers - Eurobase/NewCronos update.

1.3 Education (OECD)

The purpose of the AHELO feasibility study is to assess whether it is possible to measure what undergraduate degree students know and can do at the international level, in order to provide better information to higher education institutions, governments and other stakeholders, including students and employers. This will entail an evaluation of the scientific feasibility of undertaking an international assessment of higher education learning outcomes (in generic and subject-specific skills) at the end of a Bachelor's degree programme, as well as gauging the feasibility of its practical implementation.

Objectives and outputs

In 2011, assessment instruments have been developed, translated, adapted and pilot-tested in all 3 strands of work (generic skills, economics and engineering) in participating countries. Likewise, context survey instruments have been developed, translated, adapted and pilot-tested.

Non-member countries involved in the activity:

Colombia, Egypt, Other, Russian Federation.

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

Work in 2012 will involve:

• The international implementation of instruments in participating countries and institutions;
• The analysis of the data collected;
• The preparation of the final report;
• Its discussion at a final conference of the feasibility study to be held on 10-11 December in the Netherlands.

Education (INES activities)

Purpose

To produce and publish indicators and analysis on the operation, evolution and impact of education, from early childhood through formal education to learning and training throughout life. The collected data cover the outputs of educational institutions, the policy levers that shape educational outputs, the human and financial resources invested in education, structural characteristics of education systems, and the economic and social outcomes of education.

Objectives and outputs

Production of indicators on the financing of education, participation in and graduation from education. Indicators on educational attainment of the adult population and associated labour market outcomes, teacher salaries and work conditions, and instruction time are provided by INES Networks LSO (Labour Market, Economic and Social Outcomes of Learnong) and NESLI (Collection and Adjudication of System-level descriptive Information on Educational Structures, Policies and Practices).

The main publication is "Education at a Glance".

Main achievements in 2011 include the consolidation of the technical documentation of the education data collection, the development of indicators on the net present value of education, the relative earnings according to the level of educational attainment and the social outcomes of education as well as on how efficiently are resources used in education, on how do education systems monitor school performance. It also includes PISA 2009 results, the new indicators on school accountability, upper secondary and tertiary studies by field of education, upper secondary completion rates and the development of trend data on access and graduation to education and on financial aid to students. Ongoing methodological work includes: students' mobility and graduation comparability study, conceptual framework for the measurement of knowledge and skills, development of efficiency measures, consolidation of tertiary indicators and improvement of the quality of ISCED implementation.

Non-member countries involved in the activity:

Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Russian Federation.

Databases

Education database

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

Education database will benefit from the OECD.Stat and MetaStore developments. Trend data will be reviewed. Data and indicator development will include improving the quality and relevance of the tertiary indicators on entry, graduation, tuition fees and student mobility, further developing the indicators on educational efficiency and on upper secondary completion rates . A programme of work will also continue to review comparability issues with the international education classification (ISCED) and to develop solutions to tackle these.

Data collection:

New quality and timeliness standards for data collection and indicator compilation will be introduced.

Inclusion of a new questionnaire on non-teaching staff.

Data management:

None.

Education and Social Progress

Purpose

Education and Social Progress (ESP) project will:

• Analyse the role cognitive and non-cognitive skills play in fostering measures of well-being and social progress in OECD countries; and
• Identify how skills that matter can be better developed in formal, non-formal and informal learning environments including family, school and the community.

Objectives and outputs

The long-term objective of ESP project is to translate our findings into instruments that can be used by education stakeholders. One instrument is a set of policy recommendations, which provides decision-makers with ideas and policy orientations that can be adapted to country specific contexts. Another is a set of toolkits that policy-makers, school administrators and teachers can use to explore ways to identify groups that are at-risk, skills that might be reinforced and concrete action plans to follow. The third instrument is a critical review of existing competency frameworks, which aims at assessing whether or not the conceptual thinking and practices related to key competencies are evidence-based.

Indicators on Skills, Mobility and Job Quality

Purpose

To provide OECD members with a statistical tool for better understanding the relationship between skills mobility and job quality at the local level. This activity is contributing to the OECD Skills Srategy.

Objectives and outputs

LEED has developed a new statistical diagnostic tool to better understand the balance between skills supply and demand at sub-regional level. In 2011-12 this tool is being applied in a broad set of countries, drawing on available data at TL3 level to produce composite indicators of supply and demand. Data is being collected for a number of indicators including qualification levels, productivity, occupational structure, wages and unemployment at sub-regional level and analysed by the Secretariat. The work is an input to the OECD Skills Strategy and the results will be made available at the Skills@OECD website.

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

A new methodology to establish benchmarking groups has been developed.

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Purpose

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) was created by the OECD member countries in 1997 to produce direct assessments of student performance, on a regular basis in an efficient, timely and cost-effective manner; and to provide more relevant and powerful indicators of human capital. PISA produces assessments of reading literacy, mathematical literacy, scientific literacy and a growing range of cross-curricular competencies among 15-year-olds in school.

Objectives and outputs

In 2012, following the release of the initial report of 2009 data in December 2010, there will be further thematic reports produced on learning gains (based on the Canadian PISA cohort study), children of immigrants, private schooling and parental involvement. The results from the 9 additional countries who implemneted PISA 2009 one year later were published in December 2011. In addition, a new product 'PISA in Focus' will be published each month featuring short notes on specific topics including "The gender gap in digital reading", "What makes a country a strong performer in PISA?" and "Gender differences in career expectations."

The field trial for PISA 2012 was successfully condicted in 2011, thus preparing for the main study in 2012, which will be conducted among the 67 participating countries and economies. In addition, preparation is already underway for PISA 2015 and the first operational meetings will take place in 2012.

Data collection:

The field trial for the PISA 2012 data collection will be conducted in 2011. As well as data collection in the core subjects of mathematics, reading and science (with mathematics the major domain), there will be data collection from the assessment of problem solving skills (entirely electronic assessment and data collection) and the optional assessment of financial literacy.

Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)

Purpose

To identify and measure differences between individuals and across countries in key competencies and other economic and social outcomes believed to underpin both personal and societal success; assess their impact on economic and social outcomes; assess the performance of education and training systems in generating the required competencies at the levels required by social and economic demands; and identify key policy levers that lead to enhancing competencies and their effective utilisation.

Objectives and outputs

The objective for 2012 is to complete the data collection and to prepare for the first international report that will be published in 2013.

Non-member countries involved in the activity:

Cyprus, Russian Federation.

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

The project will complete the data collection phase and start to create database for the first international report.

Data collection:

It should be completed by March 2012.

Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

Purpose

To provide data and indicators on the learning environment in schools and about the work environment of teachers, as part of the OECD education indicator work.

Objectives and outputs

The further development of indicators and analysis of teachers, teaching and learning through further analysis of the first round of TALIS (thematic reports on the working experience of new teachers and on teaching practices and innovation) and preparation of a second round, for which data collection is scheduled to take place in 2012 and 2013.

TALIS focusses on the learning environment in schools, sampling teachers and school principals and aims to provide cross-country data, indicators and analysis on factors influencing effective teaching and learning and the working environment of teachers. The focus for the core survey of second round is lower secondary (ISCED Level 2), though countries also have the option to survey elementary (ISCED Level 1) and upper secondary (ISECD Level 3) schools and to perform a school-level linkage with PISA 2012.

The first round of TALIS was completed in 2009 with the first results reported in "Creating effective teaching and learning environments: First results from TALIS", published in June 2009. A selection of indicators were also published in Education at a Glance 2009 and in a thematic report by the European Commission "Teachers's professional development".

The work in 2012 will focus on further exploitation of the data from the first round of TALIS, including through the publication of thematic reports on the working experience of new teachers and on teaching practices and innovation in education. The work during 2012 will also focus on the second round of data collection, particularly on the Field Trial in all 33 participating countries as well as the Main Study data collection in the Southern Hemisphere countries.

1.3 Education (UNESCO)

Objectives

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) aims to:

• Gather a wide range of quality statistical information to help Member States analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of their programmes and to inform their policy decisions;
• Interpret and report on the global situation with regard to education, science and technology, culture, and communication;
• Develop new indicators to better reflect emerging policy issues, especially in developing countries;
• Set and apply standards so that data are cross-nationally comparable;
• Reinforce national capacities enabling Member States to improve the quality, analysis and use of national and international data.

Work programme

The Institute's current programme includes:

• Improve the quality of education data collected through annual surveys, in co-ordination with OECD and Eurostat through the shared UOE (UNESCO-OECD-Eurostat) methodology in order to obtain a core set of quality education data, covering all levels of formal education from pre-primary to tertiary, as well as literacy and educational attainment data;
• Develop benchmarks and monitoring international goals, especially the Millennium Development Goals (see 3.3.5) and the objectives of Education for All (EFA);
• Develop and maintain key measurement frameworks and classifications (e.g., ISCED) and developing new indicator methodologies;
• Work with donors to reinforce national capacities in the production and use of education statistics, particularly in Africa and Asia;
• Analyze and interpret education data - i.e. turning data into information;
• Implement the Literacy Assessment and Monitoring Programme (LAMP) in participating countries and prepare to report results in 2012.

Data dissemination and analysis

The UIS releases education data three times a year (January, May, and October) through its on-line Data Centre (www.uis.unesco.org). It also contributes education data to all major international reports such as the World Bank's World Development Indicators, Education for All Global Monitoring Report, UNDP Human Development Report, UNICEF's State of the World's Children, the Millennium Development Goals report and others. The UIS also collaborates with regionally-based organizations. The annual flagship publication for education statistics is the Global Education Digest.

Other publications are available in print or CD-ROM formats and for consultation via the UIS website (www.uis.unesco.org), including:

1.4 Health (CIS-STAT)

Public Health Care

Ongoing work:

• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data provided by national statistical services of the Commonwealth countries illustrating public health care.
• Preparation and publication of analytic materials, in particular, a review "On Morbidity, Disablement and Mortality of Population in the Commonwealth Countries".

1.4 Health (WHO Europe)

Alcohol-related statistics

Purpose:

In 2008, the WHO Regional Office for Europe together with the European Commission and WHO headquarters, started to collect data on alcohol consumption, alcohol related harm, and responses data issued for a global/regional database and available to the public since spring 2010 (http://apps.who.int/globalatlas/default.asp). The data was used for the European Status report on alcohol and health 2010, which was published in January 2011.

Ongoing methodological work:

• Data collection from 53 European Member States;• A system for online data entry which will be used for a new data collection in 2012;• Entering data into an SPSS file.

Priority objective of methodological work:

• A shared database at WHO headquarters with a platform for each European Region as well as for EU Member States only, is improved at regular intervals;• Review and improvement of data quality with a special focus on alcohol consumption by reconciling a range of different sources of data;• Improvement of the international coordination of the data collection in order to secure that data for one country are the same in different international sources.

New activities:

• Preparation of a European report using data collected for EU Member States during 2011 will be published in March 2012.• Preparation of a European Status report on alcohol and health will be published during 2013. Meetings planned in the next two years.• Conference to launch a new publication:Alcohol in Europeto take place on 27 March 2012.

Meetings in 2012:

• Alcohol counterpart meeting 31 May - 1 June 2012, Warsaw, Poland.

Communicable Disease Surveillance, Prevention and Control

Purpose:

This database contains data gathered through surveillance, prevention and control activities on communicable diseases - such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, and malaria - and data on immunization coverage in countries. It offers information on recent outbreaks in Europe and some other textual information. The database permits a detailed review and situation assessment of the main infectious diseases in the WHO European Region and also offers some data at the subnational level.

• Annual collection and dissemination of data on non-vaccine preventable infectious diseases, including zoonotic, vector-borne, blood-borne and water related, through the annual communicable disease reporting forms and maintained in the CISID database;

• Annual collection and dissemination of epidemiological data on the following sexually transmitted infections (STIs): Syphilis (total, early, late and congenital), Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Herpes simplex and HPV as well as viral hepatitis and HIV/ hepatitis co-infection. Data are collected through the WHO Communicable Disease Annual Reporting Form and maintained in the (CISID) database;

• Enhanced surveillance of HIV/AIDS conducted jointly by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in the 53 WHO European Member States since January 2008. Dissemination of data in an annual WHO/ECDC HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe report (available at http://www.euro.who.int/aids) and through the centralized information system for infectious diseases (CISID): http://data.euro.who.int/cisid/;

• Annual collection, through an annual WHO/UNAIDS/UNICEF reporting tool on the health sector response to HIV/AIDS, including information on access to prevention, treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Data dissemination via the annual "Towards universal access" progress report (http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/2009progressreport/en/);

• Development of an online data entry tool for rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome through CISID;• Refinement of electronic data transfer protocols between ECDC and WHO databases;• Improvement of automated uploading capabilities in countries that are reporting surveillance data to CISID.

Health Accounts

Purpose:

WHO Europe's work on health systems financing includes efforts to produce reliable, internationally comparable and transparent estimates of health expenditures for each country in the Region, using a common international standard (the International Classification for Health Accounts). Estimates are produced in a consultative process with technical specialists in all Member States and partner agencies. The work results in aggregate health expenditure estimates being available online in the WHO Europe Health for All database.

Ongoing methodological work:

The new System of Health Accounts (SHA) 2011, a global standard for defining and classifying financial resources for health, introduces major changes to the reporting standards, taking into account countries' specificities and differences in analytical needs. The work is led jointly by WHO, OECD and Eurostat.

• Training material is currently developed by Abt Associates to facilitate the transition from National Health Accounts (NHA) and SHA to SHA 2011.
• Mapping between NHA and SHA will be developed by the Eurasian NHA network to facilitate the consistency of the process in the CIS countries.

Priority objective of methodological work:

WHO/Europe has established a validation process of all health expenditure data published in the Health for All Database, the WHO World Health Statistics and the WHO WHOSIS database. The validation consists of an informal network of health accounting and/or health financing experts in the Region with whom preliminary WHO estimates are shared and this same network is also invited to provide comments and alternative estimates.

• Facilitating the transition from SHA and NHA to SHA 2011 by developing producers' guidelines and trainings.
• Ensuring the continuity of the existing NHA data series and mapping the data according to the new standard.
• Some statistical data referred to on pharmaceuticals are included in the European Health for All database (mostly types of expenditure data on medicines) and is coordinated with the National Health Accounts as well.

New activities:

• Training in the WHO Regional Office for Europe is planned to be delivered as an addition to an extended OECD annual meeting for health experts in October.
• The training on SHA 2011 which is set up as an implementation year for SHA 2011 is likely to continue until 2014.
• Training for the CIS countries will be provided at the Eurasian NHA annual meeting organized by WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Health Statistics

Purpose:

WHO Europe provides twice yearly updated information for the assessment and monitoring of the health situation and of trends in health and health care in countries of the European Region in order to provide support for decision-making and for the formulation of public health policies and programs including the assessment of their effectiveness. In this regard, the WHO Regional Office for Europe collects, reviews the quality and maintains over 600 indicators from various health dimensions, with diverse levels of detail in different databases.

• Preparation of the 2012 European Health Report. In addition to the basic analyses of situation and trends, it will have emphases on health and well-being of the population of the Region. It also serves as a prime instrument for dissemination of statistical findings from the Region. This year the report will also provide a baseline for health targets indicators set up in the new WHO Health 2020 policy for Europe.

Priority objective of methodological work:

• Design of an integrated system of statistical databases maintained by specific WHO Europe technical programs available to external users via uniform interfaces;

• Review and improve data quality of WHO Europe data sources at different levels and establish mechanisms and tools to facilitate the process. Also implement data quality assessments and an improvement strategy for WHO and country health data collections;

• Improve the coordination and comparability of international data collection in collaboration with other international agencies (primarily OECD and EC/EUROSTAT). Work on the coordination of health data collection and harmonization of health indicators in the European Region is ongoing. Following the national health accounts example, a joint OECD/EUROSTAT/WHO Europe data collection on non-expenditure health indicators started in 2010 and will continue in 2012, further expanding its indicators and the number of countries participating (to include non-EU/OECD ones).

• WHO Europe developed jointly with the European Commission, DG-Sanco, an integrated health information system for the display and analysis of indicators on socioeconomic situation, health, and health care resources at regional level (so-called NUTS2-level). This web-based tool brings together data allowing assessments of regional inequalities across Europe.Three types of interactive atlases address different questions and display data, accordingly:Regional comparison atlas, Correlation map atlas and Atlases of social inequalities. They areavailable at:http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/data-and-evidence/equity-in-health/interactive-atlases. A new developmental stage on the atlases will continue in 2012, emphasizing three aspects: inclusion of time series capabilities, environmental indicators, and organization by thematic health topics.

• A new health policy framework (Health 2020) for Europe is being developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe for its Member States. Emphasis will be placed on six areas: governance for health; inequities in health; healthy people; the environment (including risk factors and the determinants of health); the burden of disease and health system performance. Monitoring progress towards targets in these areas will be an integral part of the process. Definition of targets and indicators is currently under way, with contributions from different stakeholders. A special element to be included is the assessment and monitoring of health and well-being, this one requiring additional methodological work, also on its way.

• Additional areas of HEN's methodological work will include the following: Grading the strength of policy considerations; developing methods of combining evidence from different types of studies and other information; and refining methods for collecting questions and developing dialogue with policy-makers.

Nutrition and physical activity

Purpose:

In 2005 the WHO Regional Office for Europe started to collect data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in all population groups in preparation for the European Ministerial Conference on Counteracting Obesity (15-17 November 2006, Istanbul).At the Conference, Member States approved the European Charter on Counteracting Obesity, which lists goals, guiding principles and a framework for action. In September 2007, the WHO Regional Committee for Europe endorsed the WHO European Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Policy 2007-2012, which calls on Member States to develop and implement food and nutrition policies and translates the principles and framework provided by the Charter into specific action packages and monitoring mechanisms.

To follow up and ensure implementation of the Charter and the Action Plan, the WHO Regional Office for Europe collects information within the following areas:

- Policy developments in food and nutrition, health enhancing physical activity, and obesity; and
- Actions to implement policies: government programmes and policy instruments, legislation in the different areas of action, intersectoral collaboration and partnerships.

This data collection is being carried out in close collaboration with the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers of the European Commission.

A database was developed to facilitate processing of the information identified, entitled the "Database on Nutrition, Obesity and Physical Activity (NOPA)". As a monitoring tool, the NOPA database can stimulate policy-makers to identify gaps and needs in data collection and policy development, or show progress in their fight against obesity.

Ongoing methodological work:

• Annual collection and processing of national and subnational data on the prevalence and trends of overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, food consumption and nutrient intake in all population groups (children, adolescents and adults) from the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region;
• Annual collection and processing of national policies on nutrition, obesity and physical activity promotion;
• Two rounds of data collections took place (in 2007/2008 and 2009/2010) as part of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative that aims to routinely monitor policy response to the emerging obesity epidemic. Body weight and body height as well as dietary and physical activity patterns have been measured among primary schoolchildren aged 6-9 years. A third round will take place during the school year 2012/2013.

Priority objective of methodological work:

• Calculation of intercountry comparable estimates of the prevalence of overweight/obesity among 6-9-year-old children as a result of the two COSI data collection rounds.

Meetings in 2012:

• Sixth meeting of the principal investigators of the participating countries in the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (Oslo, Norway; 15-16 November 2012).

Social determinants, gender and inequalities

Purpose:

To strengthen the capacity of WHO Member States to systematically use analyses of social & economic determinants and health inequalities to inform the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health policies and programmes. This includes strengthening the capacity of the WHO Regional Office for Europe and its Member States to: (a) generate and or make use of existing data disaggregated by sex and age and cross link with available data on social and economic determinants (place of residence, level of education, income, employment status etc); and (b) analyse the findings with other forms of knowledge to better inform policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Ongoing methodological work:

• Working with WHO technical units to develop a minimum standards approach for ensuring collection and use of disaggregated and cross linked data in all key strategy and policy documents. For example, work with WHO NCD area regarding minimum set of indicators for integrating social determinants and equity into the set of targets and indicators to be developed as part of the NCD surveillance, monitoring and evaluation.

• Ongoing delivery of an overall capacity building programme for systematic use of disaggregated data and diverse methods and approaches for assessing data and knowledge on gender, other social determinants and equity. This will include targeted technical assistance for the development of country-specific products such as health inequalities profile or an SDH report; and in-country capacity building workshops (as requested and appropriate) on use of specific tools and approaches such as equity focused Health Impact Assessment and or linked to ICP/multicountry work as part of the SDH/Equity Solutions lab.

Priority objectives beyond 2012:

Same as ongoing for 2012 and activities for 2012 e.g. manual on collection and use of evidence for action on social determinants and health inequalities (see below).

New work to be undertaken in 2012:

• Development of a manual for all 53 Member States on collecting and assessing evidence on gender, other social determinants and equity for development of evidence informed policy. It will be based on, adapt and advance the findings from the final report and guide from the global Measurement & Evidence knowledge network with regard to developing policy options for tackling the social determinants of health inequalities.
• Development and delivery of an intensive 5-day training and capacity building programme on the systematic use of disaggregated data and diverse methods and approachesfor assessing data and knowledge on gender, social determinants and equity for informing the development, implementation, monitoring and or evaluation of health policies and programmes for improved health and gender equity.

Meetings for 2012:

• Meetings of advisory and expert group to be established for development of guidance and capacity building programme.
• Workshop with Member States to deliver intensive 5 day capacity building and training programme.

Gender statistics

Purpose:

Strengthen WHO's capacity to provide reliable information on gender inequalities in health to inform policies and programmes in countries.

Ongoing methodological work:

• To revise the main WHO databases from a gender perspective identifying gaps and making recommendations for improvement.
• Selection and review of key gender-sensitive indicators. This builds upon the work carried out at the global level and the recommendations from the WHO consultation on Gender- Sensitive health indicators to support country monitoring, Washington 2010.

New activities:

• Gender analysis of the WHO databases. This work started in January 2012 and will continue throughout the year.
• Collaboration with the European Institute for Gender Equality on the development of a satellite index on gender equality in health.
• Development of a Solid Facts on gender inequities and health in the European Region. This will be based on the analysis of the existing WHO data and the findings of the SDH Review.• Development of gender sensitive indicators to monitor well-being.

1.4 Health (Eurostat)

Theme 1.05 - Health and safety

Fields of activities covered by the theme

Health is an important priority for Europeans, who expect to be protected against illness and disease - at home, in the workplace and when travelling. Statistics are developed in the context of the EU's "Together for health: a strategic approach for the EU 2008-2013" and of the health and long-term care strand of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) on Social Protection and Social Inclusion set up by the Lisbon European Council of March 2000. Concerning Health and Safety at Work, the policy framework is provided by the Commission Communication (COM (2007) 62 final) on "Improving quality and production at work: Community strategy 2007-2012 on health and safety at work".

Activities covered by the theme:

• Public Health including Health care (expenditure and non-expenditure), Causes of Death, Health Interview Surveys (European Health Interview Surveys - EHIS, Statistics on Income and Living Conditions - SILC and EHSIS - European Health and Social Integration Survey), as well as Morbidity statistics.
• Health and safety at work, including European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW) and European Occupational Diseases Statistics (EODS).

1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2012

1.1 NEW WORK, INCLUDING NEW PLANNED LEGISLATION

• Health Care (expenditure and non-expenditure): development of the implementing Commission regulation on expenditure.

1.2 ONGOING WORK

• EHSIS (European Health and Social Integration Survey): implementation in Member States.
• Health care (expenditure and non-expenditure): Collection, validation and dissemination of 2010 data (and associated meta-data) on health care (expenditure and non-expenditure) based on Joint Questionnaires with OECD and WHO; Improvement of data quality; Dissemination of short analysis in the form of SiFs.
• Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC): 2009/2010 data on health status, health care and healthy Life Years Structural indicator - improved wording comparability of SILC questions.
• Causes of Death: Collection, validation and dissemination of the 2010 data (and associated meta-data) on causes of death; Dissemination of short analysis in the form of a Statistics in Focus (SiF).
• EHIS (European Health Interview Survey): finalisation and adoption of the implementing Commission regulation.
• Morbidity statistics: development of the final methodology for a regular data collection.
• 2011 Labour Force Survey (LFS) module on the employment of disabled people: analysis of first results.
• Health and Safety at Work (ESAW and EODS): Eurostat database update.

2. Statistical work to be carried out by other DGs (including data collection from Member States) and/or EU Agencies

2.2 ONGOING WORK

• Continuation of the development of an observatory of working conditions in Europe. Eurofound will also launch its 5th European Survey on Working Conditions.
• Continuation of the development of the Risk Observatory on new and emerging risks.
• Coordination of collections of data on communicable diseases at European Union level.
• Data on key indicators on drugs are collected and work is coordinated with Eurostat.
• For some areas in the field of public health, data such as injuries (JAMIE), data from examination survey (JA EHES) and regional health statistics (I2SARE project) and regional health statistics are collected directly through actions which are not directly steered by Eurostat, under the Programme of Community action in the field of health 2008-2013. Eurostat will, where relevant and possible, provide technical support on the follow-up of these projects, such as by examining the possibility to launch an ESSnet.

1.4 Health (OECD)

Health Care Quality Indicators

Purpose

The purpose of the Health Care Quality Indicators (HCQI) Project is to develop a set of indicators that can be used to raise questions regarding quality of care across countries. They have been reported regularly in a chapter in Health at a Glance publication since 2007.

Objectives and outputs

The entire HCQI database was made available at the OECD.Stat for the first time in 2011. The comparability and quality of data were improved and the database was also expanded, covering patient safety indicators.

Non-member countries involved in the activity:

Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, Singapore.

Databases

HCQI Data Collection

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

The HCQI Project goals in 2012 are: to review and refine existing quality of care indicators in prepration for the 2012-13 HCQI Data Collection to commence in November 2012; and to undertake data analysis to support research work in relation to the ongoing priorities of the HCQI Project.

The HCQI project is embarking on further development work with respect to indicator improvement and interpretation of cross country variations.

The main focus is on:

• the development of patient safety and patient experience indicators, and
• the inclusion of data from additional countries.

The HCQI project will also expand work in the construction of more direct measures of primary care quality for understanding observed differences and the cross-national analysis of the quality of primary care performance.

Data management:

Development of data collection tool more appropriate for StatWorks.

Health Data

Purpose

To provide policy makers and health researchers with a wide range of statistics on health and health systems to allow comparative analysis of different aspects of the performance of health systems. The database includes data on health status and risk factors to health, health care resources and activities, long-term care resources and activities, pharmaceutical consumption, health expenditure and financing, and health care quality. The data come from four questionnaires: 1) the OECD Health Data questionnaire; 2) the joint OECD/Eurostat/WHO (Europe) questionnaire on non-monetary health care statistics; 3) the joint OECD/Eurostat/WHO health accounts questionnaire; and 4) the OECD Health Care Quality Indicators questionnaire.

Objectives and outputs

Progress was achieved in 2011 in improving the availability and comparability of data on different categories of doctors and nurses that are collected throuth the joint OECD/Eurostat/WHO (Europe) questionnaire. The OECD Secretariat has also shared this joint questionnaire with the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) with a view to encourage the use of the same definition of variables for any data collection in that region to promote greater comparability.

Progress has also been achieved in improving the comparability of data on surgical procedures, based on a proposed new standard methodology to count procedures and a better specification of coverage of health care facilities.

A new edition of "Health at a Glance" was released in November 2011, including a new special chapter on long-term care, and data for large emerging economies where possible.

Working towards the extension of the joint OECD/Eurostat/WHO (Europe) questionnaire on non-monetary health care statistics to include health care activities (in addition to health care resources).

Health Expenditure and Financing

Purpose

To provide policy relevant, comparative data and analysis on health expenditure and financing, and to facilitate harmonisation across national health accounting practices. To provide data sources for research and to make country-specific health accounts data and analysis more widely available.

Objectives and outputs

The sixth Joint OECD, Eurostat and WHO System Health Accounts (SHA) data collection was successfully implemented in 2011. It has improved the availability and comparability of health expenditure data and also contributed to the improvement in health expenditure data published in OECD Health Data. A System of Health Accounts database has been developed as a component of the OECD Statistical Information System. National Health Accounts Experts and others interested in accessing health accounts data can now do so using OECD.Stat and SourceOECD.

Methodological developmental work has continued over recent years on a number of projects: Improving the Comparability and Availability of Private Health Expenditure; Development of Output based Health-Specific Purchasing Power Parities; Estimating Expenditure by Disease, Age and Gender; and Improving Estimates of Imports and Exports of Health Goods and Services.

Since 2006 OECD, EUROSTAT and WHO collaborated to revise the System of Health Accounts methodology. This process was concluded in October 2011 with the publication of the new manual A System of Health Accounts 2011. Pilot studies are currently undertaken to test the implementation of the new manual.

In 2012, the seventh Joint OECD-Eurostat-WHO health accounts (SHA) data collection will take place. Previous improvements to the validation tools used both by the national compilers and the international organisations will continue to provide efficiency gains in the validation exercise and ultimately feed through to improved timeliness in dissemination of the data.

Data collection:

No changes in questionnaire.

Mental Health, Disability and Work

Purpose

In the late 2000s, the OECD Review "Sickness, Disability and Work: Breaking the Barriers" concluded that policy has changed very much in many countries but not enough in most cases; by and large policies remain too passive in nature. The review identified two big questions to be addressed more fervently: First, why so many people take leave of absence or apply for a disability benefit on the grounds of mental illness; and secondly, how people with mental health conditions could be better integrated into the labour market. The new OECD Review "Disability and Work: Challenges for Labour Market Inclusion of People with Mental Illness" aims to address these two questions, by drawing lessons from policies and outcomes in ten member countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States). See www.oecd.org/els/disability.

Objectives and outputs

A data questionnaire was sent to ten member countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States) participating in the new OECD Review "Disability and Work: Challenges for Labour Market Inclusion of People with Mental Illness".

The first report "Sick on the Job? Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work" was released on 12 December 2011, with a dissemination seminar at the OECD headquarters in Paris. It served as a basis for the next phase of the project which will look in depth into the challenges and policies of selected OECD countries. See www.oecd.org/els/disability.

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

Development Preparation of comparative indicators and analysis on the relationship between mental health conditions, work and benefit recipiency; based on data received from ten OECD countries. The reports and the indicators will inform the second phase of the project which aims to provide evidence-based policy conclusions for the countries participating in the project.

1.4 Health (UN Statistics Division)

Disability Statistics

• Development of methods to improve the collection and compilation of disability statistics through surveys and censuses. In particular, UNSD worked with the Washington Group on Disability Statistics in the developing of a small set of general disability measures, suitable for use in censuses.

1.4 Health (UNECE STAT)

Description and objectives

To achieve internationally comparable measurement of health status of population, common tools covering multiple dimensions of health were developed jointly with Eurostat and the World Health Organization (WHO) in a Task Force on Measuring Health Status. The Task Force reached a consensus on many conceptual and measurement issues, and as a result, a common survey instrument was endorsed by the CES Bureau in November 2011. In 2012, a Steering Group on Measuring Health Status will continue to promote the use of this new instrument.

1.4 Health (WHO (Headquarters))

Methods and country health information systems

WHO is continuing to work to improve methods and country health information systems for measuring population health, health system functioning, inequities in health, core health-related indicators including health-related millennium development goals, as well as key inputs into the health system such as national health expenditures.

WHO's Global Health Observatory

WHO is developing a Global Health Observatory (GHO) that aims to enhance access to ¬-- and analyses of - WHO's data and statistics on health situation and trends. The Global Health Observatory is an Organization-wide activity with strong links to the regional and country offices. The goal is to enhance the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of all of WHO's work in the area of health statistics. The main target audiences are the general public, policymakers and public health professionals (in practice, research and education) in Member States and international organizations. The Global Health Observatory disseminates information in three ways:
• a web portal providing one entry-point to WHO's health statistics and analyses, including theme pages and data views;
• a data repository that includes easy links to all major data bases;
• analytical reports on specific and cross-cutting topics.
In 2009, as part of the GHO, WHO issued a global report on women and health bringing together and analysing data on health-issues relevant to women across the life-course and around the world. WHO also produces the annual World Health Statistics publication.

Methodological work

WHO methodological work continues to focus on better measurement of fatal and non-fatal health outcomes in a comparable manner and on the development of improved estimation techniques for summary measures of population health and the measurement of inequality.

Specific activities include:

Mortality statistics

The WHO Department of Health Statistics and Informatics is continuing to support countries strengthen their routine health information and civil registration systems. WHO has developed a strategic guidance tool to support countries to identify gaps and weaknesses in their vital statistics and find feasible ways of addressing them.
WHO continues to invest greater effort to improve the coverage and timeliness of causes of death statistics by working with countries to:
• Obtain and update civil registration information for Member States with complete civil registration, with a delay of no more than two calendar years;
• Establish and implement mechanisms to obtain, validate and update vital statistics for countries with partial registration data, e.g., where data are limited to cities or to sample registration areas;
• Establish and implement mechanisms to obtain, validate and update data for countries with limited registration capacity, using data from small scale/sample registration and surveillance systems;
• WHO has produced, in collaboration with other international partners, a standard verbal autopsy tool to collect data on cause of death data in household surveys in settings where vital registration is non-existent or incomplete.

Improving Measurement of Morbidity and Risk factors

Self reported health data on levels of health, chronic diseases and risk factors are known to be subject to a host of reporting biases. In order to provide comparable measurement of these factors, innovative methods of data collection are proposed for low- and middle-income countries with poor health information:
• Health examination survey: collection of biological and clinical data, behavioural/risk factor data and background characteristics;
• Global risks to health: 2004 update: WHO has updated its analyses of the relative contribution of major risk factors to population ill-health and produced a report detailing the burden of mortality, injuries and disease caused by 24 risk factors globally and in a range of regional groupings.

Summary measures of population health

WHO will continue to work with international partners in the updating of information on burden of disease using up-to-date epidemiological data as well as improved estimation techniques:
• Child mortality estimates are updated annually, working in coordination with the Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME), which includes UNICEF, United Nations Population Division, the World Bank, WHO. The latest child mortality estimates up to 2010 were published in 2011.
• Neonatal mortality estimates by country are updated and published periodically by WHO. The latest estimates were for the year 2008 were released in 2010. For 2011, a time series from 1990 to 2009 was published for neonatal deaths for all the countries of the Member States. WHO compiled an extensive database and improved modeling methods from previous estimates.
• Maternal mortality estimates will be released in 2012. The most recent update for 1990 to 2008 was released in 2010, developed in close collaboration with an international expert group and used all available country data on maternal mortality, as well as improved methods of estimation. The intensive country consultation carried out as part of the development of these estimates has been instrumental in identifying increased data collection efforts in recent years including the special systems to capture data on maternal deaths. There are however major gaps in the availability and quality of data for many countries where maternal mortality levels are high, and only through statistical modeling is it possible to obtain an understanding of the trend. WHO and partner agencies will continue to strengthen the systems for data collection and analysis as well as the global database for improving the future estimates.
• Life tables estimates are also updated bi-annually for all Member States. They provide consistent indicators across countries, period and ages for life expectancy at birth, child mortality and adult mortality. For child mortality, estimates from IGME is taken into account, furthermore, they provide the estimated total number of deaths which constitute the "envelope" that should not be exceeded when all cause-specific number of deaths are summed.

Monitoring health system performance

In 2010, a handbook of indicators and measurement strategies for monitoring health systems building blocks was published, with a wide range of collaborators, including country experts and donor agencies. Additionally, guidance towards monitoring and evaluation of national health strategies has been developed. This guidance outlines the key elements and characteristics of a platform that requires regular assessment of country progress and performance and uses the results to enhance the implementation and evidence base of the national health strategy. In 2011, a guidance document for countries and partners was produced by WHO and IHP+ on "Monitoring and evaluation of national health strategies: a country led platform for information and accountability".

During 2009-2010, WHO expanded its work to support countries efforts to strengthen accountability for health woith a focus on women's and children's health. This includes work with low and lower middle income countries to improve monitoring of results (e.g. data quality assessment, transparency, analysis) and to strengthen death registration systems. . . The WHO Health Statistics and Information Systems department continues to work with the Health Metrics Network (HMN) partnership in strengthening civil registration and vital statistics systems.

Health Expenditures - Financial risk protection

Ongoing methodological work

WHO will continue to develop indicators measuring financial risk protection and poverty impact of health payments.

Priority objective on methodological work

Development of methods for countries to monitor these indicators over time.
New activities to be undertaken in the next two years
Technical briefs on key indicators and their distribution across socio-economic groups.

Health expenditure statistics: national health accounts

Ongoing methodological work

WHO is continuing to update the figures on health expenditure of its Member States each year in the World Health Statistics and online (www.who.int/nha). Estimates are based on nationally reported data publically available or sent to various international bodies, plus data from household surveys. In a joint attempt to produce more comparable health expenditure data, WHO, together with the OECD and Eurostat, is working on a revised and unique version of health accounts methodology to be published in 2011. It will replace WHO, World Bank and USAID 'Producer's Guide to National Health Accounts' for low and middle income countries, as well as OECD 'System for Health Accounts' (SHA).

Priority objective on methodological work over next two years

• Contribution to revisions of the SHA;
• Consultation of Member States by region to validate proposed revision.

Human Resources Development in Health

Ongoing methodological work

A key area of work is the collection and dissemination of data and research on health personnel to provide evidence on human resources (HR) for policy formulation and health system scale-up.

Priority objectives on methodological work in 2009

Publication of a "Handbook on monitoring and evaluation of human resources for health, with special applications in low and middle income countries", and initiate activities to build capacity in its use.

Priority objectives on methodological work over the next two years

• Consensus on a core set of HR indicators and means to their measurement to monitor and assess HR development strategies.
• Building capacity in use of HR Action Framework among countries and stakeholders to address specific HR issues.
• Contribute to the improvement of standard definitions for health occupations in the new revision to the International Classification of Occupations in collaboration with the International Labour Organization.

New activities to be undertaken in the next two years

• Support to countries and regions in the development and strengthening of HR Observatories and other cooperative mechanisms for knowledge sharing.
• Coordinate partnerships and catalyze initiatives to strengthen HR information systems at the country and sub-country levels.

Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe)

The Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe) (www.who.int/goe) provides Member States with strategic information and guidance on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for health. The World Health Assembly endorsed the establishment of the GOe in 2005.

• Dedicated to monitoring the impact of ICT on health and to improving the understanding of developments, opportunities and challenges to the implementation of eHealth worldwide.
• First global survey conducted in 2005/6: development of eHealth country profiles, identification of eHealth challenges and presentation of recommendations for action.
• Second global survey conducted in 2009/10: builds upon the first survey and expands its scope to address relevant eHealth areas that have evolved since the first survey.
• Publishing a series of reports on telehealth, atlas of participating country profiles, mobile health, management of patient information and legal and ethical frameworks for eHealth during 2011.

1.5 Income and consumption (CIS-STAT)

Household Income and Expenditure

Ongoing work:

• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of quarterly and annual data provided by national statistical services on the level and structure of household money income and consumer expenditure, minimum subsistence level and assessment of poverty of population, breakdown of population by size of average per capita income (expenditure), level and structure of food products consumption, energy value and composition of nutrients in consumed products (with annual periodicity).
• Preparation of annual report on material living conditions of population in the Commonwealth countries.
• It is envisaged to provide advisory services to national statistical services on the organisation of household income, expenditure and consumption statistics in the Commonwealth countries.
• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data on money income and expenditure of the population of the Commonwealth countries in the period 2011-2012 - quarterly and annually.

New activities:

• In 2012 it is intended to conduct a meeting of experts of the CIS countries on the exchange of experience in the conduct of households surveys. •Preparation of a review of international practice of time budget survey conduct.
• Preparation of analytical review "Main Socio-Economic Indicators of Poverty in the CIS Countries".
• Conducting monitoring of the population quality of life indicators.

1.5 Income and consumption (Eurostat)

Theme 1.09 - Food safety

Fields of activities covered by the theme

Eurostat involvement is limited; the intention is to phase-out Eurostat's involvement in this area*.

2. Statistical work to be carried out by other DGs (including data collection from Member States) and/or EU Agencies

2.2 ONGOING WORK

• Detailed data on specific issues such as monitoring of pesticide residues, zoonoses, etc. are currently collected and sent to Eurostat.

*The context of the discussion on negative priorities (under request of the European Statistical System Committee), it was decided to put 'food safety statistics' on the list of negative priorities for 2012'.

Theme 5.08 - Consumer protection

Fields of activities covered by the theme

• Support given by Eurostat to DG SANCO to monitor the market from the consumer's perspective, contributing to data collection for the "Consumer Market Scoreboard";
• Support/advice given by Eurostat on statistical methodology.

1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2012

1.1 NEW WORK, INCLUDING NEW PLANNED LEGISLATION

• Provide methodological, statistical and analytical support to the users on consumer protection.

1.5 Income and consumption (FAO)

• Methodological work focuses on revising and updating the procedures for the assessment of households' habitual food consumption based on data from a wide range of different household surveys (including income and expenditure surveys, LSMS, etc.) to be used, together with macro indicators of food availability from Food balance Sheets, for the estimation of the extent of food deprivation in the population.

• In addition to the prevalence of chronic hunger, a suite of food security indicators will be compiled using data available from surveys. The methods and tools will be shared with national statistical organizations to enable them to estimate the level of food deprivation as defined by the Millennium Development Goals (indicator 1.9) at national level, and a series of food security indicators at sub-national levels.

• Technical assistance is being provided to member countries through FAO's capacity building activities projects.

Priority objectives:

• Development improved methods for the estimation of food security indicators at national and sub national levels;

• Strengthening country ownerships of methods and tools for food security assessment through capacity building on food consumption and security statistics, in particular as part of the FAO ESS Household Survey Programme, http://www.fao.org/economic/ess/ess-fs/essfscd/en/

New activities:

• A module is being developed under the World Bank ADePT software platform (http://go.worldbank.org/KVDRVFVBA0) to allow for the analysis of food security from household survey data.

Meetings in 2012:

• National seminars will be held in Bangkok, Rangoon and Vientiane to illustrate methods of data analysis for food security assessment, using the Food Security Statistics Module.

1.5 Income and consumption (ILO)

Household Income and Expenditure

New activities:

• Work is being planned on the preparation of a technical guide on household income and expenditure statistics, in collaboration with the International Household Survey Network.

1.5 Income and consumption (OECD)

Establishing guidelines for the join measurement of income, consumption and wealth at the household level.

Objectives and outputs

To produce two handbooks on methodological guidelines.

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

Finalisation of the handbooks.

1.5 Income and consumption (World Bank)

Household Income and Expenditure

Database on Household Expenditure and Income Data for Transitional Economies developed as part of a project analyzing poverty and social assistance in the transition economies. The data addresses critical questions, such as the group most likely to be poor, how well social assistance programs reach people, and the kinds of programs that would most effectively reduce poverty (http://go.worldbank.org/KTN5N3L4H0).

Gender

Using the Bank's Development Grant Facility funds, in collaboration with UNECE, the Bank developed a critical mass of national trainers to improve sensitization of users and statisticians to the production, use, and updating of gender statistics.

• A training for trainers manual was commissioned and finalized, with topical experts from various UN agencies contributing.

• The Bank has commissioned and provided support for UNSD to finalize the Gender Statistics Handbook.

• Multi-media training modules for collecting, analyzing, and using gender data have been developed.

• A special segment on violence against women, including interviews with government officials and women leaders, was developed for advocacy purposes, in response to demand from developing countries.

• A publication of Little Data Book on Gender was produced in 2011. This handy pocket guide is a quick reference for users interested in gender statistics. The book presents gender-disaggregated data for more than 200 economies in an easy country-by-country reference on demography, education, health, labor force, political participation and the Millennium Development Goals. The book's summary pages cover regional and income group aggregates. The e-book is available from http://data.worldbank.org/products/data-books/little-data-book-on-gender.

• World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development looks at the facts and trends surrounding the various dimensions of gender equality in the context of the development. For more information, click here. For more data, visit the World Bank Data on Gender site.

1.6 Social protection (CIS-STAT)

Social Welfare

Ongoing work:

• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data provided by national statistical services illustrating social protection and pension security, and information on the numbers of disabled persons in the Commonwealth countries. Preparation of annual reports on the numbers of pensioners and pension security in the Commonwealth countries.
• It is envisaged to provide advisory services to national statistical services on the organisation of social security statistics in the Commonwealth countries.

1.6 Social protection (Eurostat)

Theme 1.07 - Social protection

Fields of activities covered by the theme

The European System of Integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS) provides a coherent comparison between European countries of social benefits to households and their financing. It is also relevant to the inclusive growth pillar of the proposed Commission Strategy Europe 2020. Activities covered by the theme are:

• Social Protection Statistics: ESSPROS. Methodological development, data collection, validation and dissemination of data on social protection systems. Development and production of indicators. Production of synthesis quality report.
• Social Protection Statistics: ESSPROS data on net social benefits: implementation of the Commission regulation and management of the transition on a voluntary basis.

1.6 Social protection (ILO)

Social Security Schemes

The new ILO Social Security Inquiry collects statistics on social security expenditure, financing, coverage and benefit levels from both developed and developing world. Its revised methodological approach is compatible as far as possible with SNA, with the EUROSTAT-ESSPROS approach to social protection revenue, and expenditure statistics, with OECD Social Protection Expenditure database and with IMF's 2001 Government Finance Statistics guidelines. In addition, coverage and benefit level data are collected and used for constructing coverage indicators by social security risk or contingency. The ILO social security inquiry presents an inventory of national social protection schemes in order to collect data directly from the institutions that manage each of them, especially data on the coverage of the population, contributions and benefit levels and expenditure. In many countries, neither statistical offices nor ministries of welfare and social affairs collect data on all social protection programmes administered by different agencies. Data are collected and disseminated through the ILO Social Security Database, which contains on-line data entry module which can possibly be used directly by institutions administering social security schemes as well as automatic import utilities to include data from external compatible databases (such as SOCX OECD social expenditure data). A limited and regularly updated set of indicators on social security expenditure and coverage is now available for most Eastern European countries starting from 2000 to the latest available year. First results for nine countries in South-Eastern Europe were summarized in ILO (2005): Social Security Spending in South-Eastern Europe, Budapest: ILO. More recently updated data and indicators covering both expenditure and coverage have been published in the first edition of the World Social Security Report 2010/11.

• The ILO published The World Social Security Report 2010/11 Providing coverage in times of crisis and beyond with provides a factual basis to support the development of national social security policies. It is the first in a series of World Social Security Reports which will also help to monitor the global progress on social security coverage and thus support the ILO's campaign to extend coverage. The report and related statistical data and indicators in Excel format are available on-line on the ILO Social Security Department platform at: http://www.socialsecurityextension.org/gimi/gess/ShowTheme.do?tid=1985.

• Historical data (1949-1993) on revenues and expenditure of social security schemes from 22 European countries are available on database on-line, deve loped by EURODATA Research Archive of the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES) in cooperation with the ILO. Data for other countries are available on-line on the ILO website at http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/secsoc/areas/stat/css/index.htm.

• The ILO has also published series of in-depth reports on social protection, which contain a broad range of statistics (Social Protection Expenditure and Performance Reviews - SPER). UNECE countries covered are Poland and the Slovak Republic.

• The ILO has developed - in cooperation with the Council of Europe - a manual on statistical data requirements and indicators related to reporting on compliance with ILO Convention No. 102 on minimum standards in social security and with the European Code of Social Security.

• The International Social Security Association (ISSA) continues its work to develop the statistical capacity of its members in developing countries and contributes to the development of international standards on social security/social protection statistics.

• The ILO intends to review and, if necessary, propose revisions to further develop the international standards on statistics of social security/social protection as laid down in the Resolution concerning the development of social security statistics, adopted by the 9th ICLS (1957). This was discussed at the 17th ICLS.

Data collection:

• Collection and analysis of statistical data on the performance of national social protection schemes in certain countries as well as on the extent of coverage by and exclusion from social protection (Social Protection Expenditure and Performance Reviews - SPER).

• Collection of detailed statistical data for actuarial valuations of social security schemes.

• Within the framework of the activities on the informal economy, the Social Protection Sector is developing a module with limited number of questions on social protection to be integrated into the regular household surveys. This is undertaken by all units in collaboration with STAT with the aim of enhancing the use of this particular source to collect relevant data on social protection.

• The International Social Security Association (ISSA), in collaboration with the United States Social Security Administration, collects information on the range of contingencies covered by social security schemes and disseminates it with Social Security Programmes throughout the World (SSPTW) (see http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw) and with the ISSA information service, Social Security Worldwide. The ISSA also collects data on the legal framework and governance of Public Social Insurance Reserve Funds as well as their asset allocation and expenditure.

1.6 Social protection (OECD)

Social Benefit Recipients

Purpose

Detailed data on benefit recipiency in a comparative framework are needed to assess how effective social safety nets are at reaching their objectives.

For instance, they show who benefits from social safety nets, and what share of a targeted population is actually covered. In a longitudinal perspective, these recipiency data help identify the role of safety nets across the economic cycle, and how recipients adjust to changes in programme rules. These questions are essential in the perspective of adapting social systems to future economic and demographic challenges.

Currently, comprehensive data on benefit recipiency is not easily available, and is sometime difficult to obtain even at country level. Furthermore, very little information is usually provided on beneficiary characteristics, almost no information is available on programme entries and exits except in some cases.

The database should ideally cover income replacement benefits and their main supplements paid to the working age population.

Objectives and outputs

In December 2011, a first partial and preliminary version of the database has been made available. The access to the database is restricted to the (OECD and European Commission) people directly involved in the project. In a further step of the project, the database will be made public. This first version includes annual caseloads for 2007 and 2008 and, depending on data availability on each country, the inflows, outflows and the number of recipients broken down by age and gender during the same period.

The main objectives for 2012 are:

• Improve the quality of existent data;
• Use reference time series to compute relevant indicators;
• Gather 2009 and 2010 information and include them in the database.

Non-member countries involved in the activity:

Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania.

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

No major changes regarding the objectives and deliverables.

The questionnaire asking for 2009 and 2010 data, to be sent in 2012, has been improved and simplified with respect to the one sent in 2011.

Data collection:

No major changes are planned.

Social Expenditure

Purpose

The database has been developed to monitor trends in aggregate social expenditure as well as changes in its composition. SOCX includes historical series from 1980 on public and mandatory private social expenditure at programme level classified under the major social policy areas. See www.oecd.org/els/social/expenditure.

Objectives and outputs

Social Expenditure Database: data collection (in co-operation with Eurostat for EU countries) and dissemination on the internet www.oecd.org/els/social/expenditure of expenditure data, programme by programme, grouped in the main expenditure categories, since 1980.

Working Paper #124 "Is the European welfare state really more expensive? Indicators on social spending, 1980-2012 and a manual to the OECD Social Expenditure database (SOCX)" came out in Novermber 2011, including net (after taxes) and voluntary social spending.

Databases

Social expenditures

Main Developments for 2012

General aspects:

No major changes.

Data collection:

Data update every other year. 2008 and 2009 will be collected in first semester of 2012.
We will compute some short term spending projections till 2012 or 2013.

1.7 Human settlements and housing (CIS-STAT)

Housing Conditions

Ongoing work:

• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data provided by national statistical services illustrating housing conditions of population in the CIS countries.
• Preparation of annual report "Dwelling Stock and Housing Conditions of Population in the Commonwealth Countries".
• It is envisaged to provide advisory services to national statistical services on the organisation of statistical observation of living conditions of population.

1.7 Human settlements and housing (UN Statistics Division)

Demographic Yearbook

Ongoing work:

• UNSD has developed a new questionnaire on housing statistics. The questionnaire was circulated to countries with other census questionnaires in spring 2009 and in 2010 (for countries that did not reply the first time). After the validation of data a set of tabulations will have been posted in the end of 2012, as a Compendium of Housing Statistics.

1.8 Justice and crime (CIS-STAT)

Crime and Convictions

Ongoing work:

• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data provided by national statistical services of the Commonwealth countries illustrating crime and convictions in these countries. Preparation of quarterly reports on the state of criminality in the Commonwealth countries.
• It is envisaged to provide advisory services to national statistical services on the organisation of crime and conviction statistics in the Commonwealth countries.

New activities:

• Preparation of a review"Study of thePractices of Accounting Victims of Crimesand its Reflection in Statistical Reports of the Commonwealth Countriesand the Experience of Receiving this Information in the Countries of the World".

1.8 Justice and crime (HEUNI)

Background

The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI) is the European link in the network of institutes operating within the framework of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. HEUNI was established through an Agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Finland, signed on 23 December 1981. HEUNI is based in Helsinki, Finland.

The primary objective of HEUNI is to promote the international exchange of information on crime prevention and control among European countries. The frame of reference is given by the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, as well as the specific needs of the European countries.

HEUNI also seeks to help in identifying, for interested governments, institutions and individual experts, sources of information on recent developments in crime, criminal justice and criminal policy throughout Europe.

The administrative and budgetary responsibility for HEUNI lies with the Government of Finland. HEUNI operates under the joint auspices of the United Nations and the Government of Finland.

Ongoing projects

Developing a Methodology to Collect Data on Community Sanctions and Measures and Attrition Rates inEurope(DECODEUR)

The purpose of this project is to use the expertise available within the European Sourcebook Group and the Conférence permanente Européenne de la Probation (CEP) to improve and complement the standards developed so far for the definition and categorisation of community sanctions and measures on all levels of the criminal justice system. A more complete description of the criminal justice system will also lead to the identification of how attrition rates differ, comparing the identification of suspects and the imposition of sanctions and measures between Member States and juveniles vs. adults. The project will also collect data for the new European Sourcebook (2008-2011).

Scheduled duration: 2011-2014

Fundamental Rights Agency survey on violence against women in the EU and Croatia

HEUNI is a partner in a bid regarding a violence against women interview survey in the EU and Croatia, commissioned by the FRA. The main partner of the bid is Ipsos MORI (UK/Belgium). The third partner is UNICRI (Italy). The tasks of HEUNI in the project would be to act in the role of scientific adviser and to produce the interviewer training, relevant materials and also to provide the final research report to the FRA.

Scheduled duration: 2012

Reports that include statistical information are available at www.heuni.fi.

1.8 Justice and crime (UNODC)

Crime and Criminal Justice

Ongoing methodological work and priority objective of the methodological work:

• Collection, analysis and publication of data from the United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems. The Survey is conducted in co-operation with the UN Statistics Division, DESA and, for countries in Europe, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. The Survey addresses all manner of national level criminal justice: police, courts, prosecution, prisons, and national data collection capacities.
• Maintenance of the global homicide statistics database.
• Crime data are available at http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/crimedata.html.
• Supporting international efforts of comparative analysis, including serving the secretariat for the CES Task Force on Crime Classification; consultations with Eurostat on comparable crime statistics; participation in the Expert Group on "Towards comparable information on crime and victimisation - an EU-wide approach", established by the European Commission, DG-JLS; Consultations with Interpol on international police crime statistics; Consultation with UN Agencies on Expert Group on Crime data Collection; participation in the European Sourcebook on Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics; Consultations with the working groups on the CVS.
• Development of methodology to measure types of crime which may not be entirely visible in crimes recorded by relevant national authorities such as corruption and organized crime.
• Support to countries to improve their crime statistics systems.

New activities to be undertaken in the next year:

• Finalization of the following regional/global Reports: Global Report on Homicides, Crime in Africa, Corruption in the Western Balkans, The Impact of the financial crises on crime.
• National and regional training workshops to improve crime and criminal justice statistic systems in the Western Balkans.
• Support to the implementation of victimization and corruption surveys in requesting countries.
• Establishment of the center of excellence on crime statistics in INEGI, Mexico with the purpose of supporting countries in the region to improve their crime statistics systems and develop a laboratory for developing/improving methodology on the conducting of victimization survey and the recording of crime in administrative records.
• Develop an on-line data collection portal on the web to facilitate countries to report their crime data.
• Development of methodologies for improving data quality and data dissemination.

Illicit Drugs

Ongoing methodological work and Priority objective of the methodological work:

• Ongoing collection, analysis and publication of data on global illicit drugs. Covering a period of more than 15 years, the UNODC database contains more than 100,000 entries related to various aspects of worldwide illicit drug production, trafficking and demand. The data is collected primarily from the Annual Reports Questionnaire (ARQ) received from governments and supplemented by other sources, including UNODC surveys in various countries. Thousands of new entries are added every year and an effort is now being made to search archives and retroactively expand time series. A data-matching system involving UNODC, Interpol and WCO is now resulting in improved data on significant individual seizures cases.
• Ongoing work on the publication series including the World Drug Report, a Bulletin on Narcotics and Studies on Drugs and Crime monographs.
• Assessment and analysis of global trends in drugs and crime, for integrated comparative analysis.
• Assistance to countries to monitor the cultivation of illicit crops and the production of illicit drugs.

New activities to be undertaken in the next year:

• Improvement of the methodology to estimate cocaine production;
• Assistance to undertake drug-use surveys and improve drug monitoring systems in requesting countries;
• National/regional workshops to improve the international data collection on illicit drugs through the newly approved ARQ.

1.8 Justice and crime (Eurostat)

Theme 1.10 - Crime and criminal justice

Fields of activities covered by the theme

The Stockholm Programme agreed by the Council in 2009 (OJ C115, p.1) sets out an ambitious set of goals for improving European statistics on crime and criminal justice. Currently one of the main focuses of the work is on developing and implementing a household survey covering victimisation and safety concerns. Data on police-recorded crime has been collected annually since 2006 and is gradually being extended to include further areas of crime and criminal justice.

Activities covered by the theme are:

• Statistics on police-recorded crime, number of police officers in the Member States and prison population;
• Statistics on money-laundering and other new crime types;
• Statistics on victimisation/security.

1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2012

1.2 ONGOING WORK

• Police-recorded crime, police numbers and prison population: Collection, validation and dissemination of 2010 data (and associated meta-data) jointly with UN.
• Development of an EP and Council regulation for an EU victimisation survey to be implemented in 2013 and of corresponding implementing regulation and methodological manual.

2. Statistical work to be carried out by other DGs (including data collection from Member States) and/or EU Agencies

2.2 ONGOING WORK

• Collection of cash control statistics from Member States;
• Launching of a Joint data collection with UN.

Theme 1.11 - Discrimination

Fields of activities covered by the theme

Equality statistics are based on the EU Treaty (new Article 19) and on the Commission's non-discrimination package 2008, which includes a proposal for a new Directive COM(2008) 426 on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

• Dedicated section on outcome difference indicators on equality: update the data of the dedicated section.
• Introduction of country of birth of parents in main social surveys (LFS, SILC).

1.8 Justice and crime (UNECE STAT)

Description and objectives

Crime statistics is an area where international comparability is very difficult to achieve, because data are collected mainly for national purposes and depend largely on the legislation and the justice systems of the different countries. To overcome these difficulties, UNECE works in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Commission to improve comparability of international crime statistics. In particular, a Task Force is working on methodological issues related to the development of an international classification of crimes for statistical purposes. The report of this Task Force will be finalised in 2012.

1.9 Culture (CIS-STAT)

Culture and Arts

Ongoing work:

• Collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data provided by national statistical services as part of the interstate exchange of information on culture and arts.
• Preparation of annual analytical materials illustrating selected aspects of the activities of culture and arts agencies in the Commonwealth countries.
• It is intended to provide advisory services to national statistical services on the organization of culture statistics in the Commonwealth countries.

1.9 Culture (Eurostat)

Theme 1.04 - Culture

Fields of activities covered by the theme

Official statistics on culture are requested within the Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States on the "Work Plan for Culture 2011-2014" endorsed on 2.12.2010.

Activities covered by the theme:

• Statistics on the cultural / creative sector (employment, trade);
• Statistics on expenditure on culture;
• Statistics on cultural participation and the social impact of culture.

1. Work to be carried out by Eurostat in 2012

1.2 ONGOING WORK

• Follow-up of forthcoming development of cultural statistics (employment, participation, expenditure, industrial dimension and external trade) as a follow-up of recommendations agreed by the Working Group on Cultural Statistics based on proposals of the ESSnet culture. Methodology, manual, improved statistics.

1.9 Culture (UNESCO)

Work Programme

The Institute's current work programme includes:

• Collect, disseminate and analyse selected cultural data via global surveys;
• Develop new methodologies and standards to support countries in the production of cultural statistics;
• Reinforce national capacities in cultural statistics by working with partner agencies in particular in Africa.

Ongoing methodological work:

• Production of handbook and guidelines for the 2009 UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics;
• Formulate recommendations for the improvement of the cultural component of international classifications;
• Methodological work on the measurement of the economic contribution of culture.

Priority objectives beyond 2012:

• Improve the coverage and the quality of cross-nationally comparable cinema data collected through bi-annual surveys;
• Develop appropriate methodology for the collection of cultural employment data;
• Provide technical assistance to countries in the area of cultural statistics.

New work to be undertaken in 2012:

• Launch the 2012 UIS data collection on feature film statistics;
• Initial development work on new cultural employment survey;
• Technical assistance to selected countries;
• Release handbook on cultural participation and technical paper on the economic contribution of culture.

1.10 Political and other community activities (Eurostat)

1.10 Political and other community activities (ILO)

Trade Unions and Collective Bargaining Agreements

Ongoing methodological work:

An updated and expanded database on trade union membership has been disseminated on the ILO Department of Statistics webpage. It is accompanied by a methodological note on sources of these statistics. This is just the first phase of building the social dialogue indicators database focused on collecting and updating key industrial relations data relating to trade union membership, trade union density and collective bargaining coverage. An appropriate methodology is also being developed with a view to applying a standard approach to the collection and analysis of such data. The inclusion of social dialogue indicators in the ILO annual questionnaire (see section on data collection) aims to provide a comprehensive account of available statistical information on trade union density and collective bargaining coverage and to provide inputs to the ILO for developing international guidelines for their measurement to enhance their comparability.

1.10 Political and other community activities (World Bank)

Governance indicators

The World Bank's Development Economics Vice Presidency and the World Bank Institute produce the annual database Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI). The WGI estimates six dimensions of governance covering213 countries and territories for 1996-2010: Voice and Accountability, Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Control of Corruption. The latest aggregate indicators are based on hundreds of specific and disaggregated individual variables measuring various dimensions of governance, taken from 35 data sources provided by 33 different organizations. Individual measures of governance are assigned to categories capturing key dimensions of governance, and use an unobserved components model to construct six aggregate governance indicators. Both point estimates of the dimensions of governance as well as the margins of error are presented for each country. These margins of error are not unique to perceptions-based measures of governance, but are an important feature of all efforts to measure governance, including objective indicators. The WGI also addresses various methodological issues, including the interpretation and use of the data given the estimated margins of error, significance of changes over time, and correlation between governance and income. See the World Bank Institute's Governance website at: http://www.govindicators.org.

The Country Policy and Institutional Assessment exercise is carried out annually by World Bank Staff. Numerical scores of International Development Association (IDA) eligible countries, known as the IDA Resource Allocation Index (IRAI) were first publicly disclosed in June 2006. Country performance is assessed against a set of 16 criteria grouped in four clusters: economic management, structural policies, policies for social inclusion and equity, and public sector management and institutions. See the IRAI database at http://go.worldbank.org/S2THWI1X60.

1.11 Time use (UN Statistics Division)

Time-use statistics

• A Guide to producing statistics on time-use: Measuring Paid and Unpaid work, was published in 2005.

• The finalization of the UN Trial International Classification of Activities for Time-use Statistics (ICATUS) is expected in 2012.

1.11 Time use (UNECE STAT)

Description and objectives

Time-use surveys provide indispensable data on quality of life and well-being and shed light on unpaid work, living conditions and gender equality. Time-use statistics have a particularly important role in current international efforts to enhance the measurement of social progress beyond the use of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The need for better harmonisation and timeliness of time-use statistics has led to the establishment of a Task Force on Time-use Surveys. In 2012, the Task Force will develop a set of guidelines with a view to harmonising time-use surveys and improving comparability of time-use statistics. It will collect good practices to support countries in implementing these demanding surveys. It will also investigate ways of further increasing the policy relevance of time-use surveys and ways of more cost-effective survey-taking.

Meeting to be organized in 2012:

Task Force on Time Use Surveys, Geneva,19-20 January.

3.1 Environment (WHO Europe)

Environment and Health

Purpose:

The purpose is to provide data, information and analytical synthesis on the interrelationships between environment and public health issues (EH). This process allows monitoring of EH trends. Progress with regard to the implementation of EH policies is quantified and this generates the evidence-base to support EH decision-making in countries of the WHO European Region.

Ongoing methodological work:

• Final stages of the development of methodologies for new exposure and health effect indicators that will facilitate the efficient implementation of time-bound international commitments to protect children from the effects of environmental factors outlined at the 5th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health (Parma, Italy, 2010).

• Development of standardized data collection, processing and analysis methodologies for new surveillance programmes to assess exposure to environmental factors in children's facilities and pre-natal exposures to developmental toxicants.

• Development of a new IT platform and database for the European Environment and Health Information System (ENHIS) to improve the presentation of indicator-based information on environmental exposures, health effects and EH oriented policy actions for decision-making and EH professionals.

• Assistance to selected Member States in the development and implementation of national EH information systems.

Priority objectives beyond 2012:

• Methodological support to Member States in the implementation of new EH data collection programmes for monitoring the implementation of international commitments to protect children from EH risks.• Further development of ENHIS databases to enable storage and pooled analysis of raw EH data from Member States.• Further development of ENHIS indicators on exposure, to support burden of disease analysis.• Incorporation of EH inequality measures in ENHIS indicators.

New work to be undertaken in 2012:

• Implementation of a new data base and IT platform for the European Environmental Health Information System (ENHIS), integrated into the IT infrastructure of the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
• Updating data for the existing indicators of exposure and health effects in ENHIS.
• Conducting new EH policy surveys in Member States to assess the EH policy situation in relation to new international commitments adopted at the 5th Ministerial Conference (Parma, 2010).
• Pilot testing and implementation in ENHIS of new exposure and health effect indicators for monitoring of the implementation of time-bound international commitments to protect children from the effects of environmental factors.
• Pilot testing of new indicators related to the impacts of climate change on health and the environment and incorporation of these indicators into the European Environment and Health Information System (ENHIS). (The development of indicator methodologies had been conducted under a contract between the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Commission/DG Sanco).

Meetings planned for 2012:

• Technical meeting on the implementation of new ENHIS indicators for monitoring Parma conference commitments.
• Meeting of the European Environment and Health Task Force (a policy governing body of the European EH Process) on monitoring of Parma commitments and the use of new proposed indicators.